Rolling with the Punches
by paramoria
Summary: Beca Mitchell doesn't want to go to college, much less sing a capella, but her views start to change when a certain redhead befriends her. (AU)
1. Chapter 1

**Warning: Spoilers!**

* * *

College. It was a place to get yourself out there and make memories, or so that's what Beca's father says it's for. For Beca it was a torture chamber. She didn't want to be there. She wanted to be in LA paying her dues and producing music for the artists she looked up to. Her father decided to have Beca attend Barden University to have some sort of a degree under her belt in case the whole "P. Diddy" plan didn't work out for his only child. Since Mr. Mitchell was a professor there, his daughter would be getting a free education. This was a major plus in his eyes, but to Beca it was just another reason why college wasn't important. She had no attachments at all. If she decided to drop out mid-semester, she wouldn't be losing anything.

Beca entered her dorm slightly hoping to find someone she would one day call her friend, but she was disappointed to find a girl named Kimmy Jin who gave the worst stares. She gave the look like I'm going to kill you in your sleep. It gave Beca the creeps, but decided it was better than someone who was too perky. Beca couldn't stand perky people.

Beca made a quick escape out of the small dorm and made her way to the activities fair. It was just an excuse to get out of talking with her father. There were so many booths filled with so many strangers. She walked from booth to booth through the quad looking at the different groups and activities she could join, but none stood out to her. She was walking by one booth when a girl called out to her. "Hi, would you have any interest in joining our a capella group?"

Beca turned to meet two pairs of eyes and a flyer in her face. She took it and looked it over. "Oh wow this is like a thing now?" she asked.

The redhead replied, "Oh totes! We sing covers of songs, but we don't use any instruments. It's all from our mouths." Beca watched her as she talked. Beca noticed how the color of her red hair made her blue eyes pop.

"Yikes."

"There are four groups here at Barden. There are us, The Bellas, we're the tits, and over there is..." the redhead continued her little introduction of the groups. Beca tried to look interested but felt that she was failing miserably. When the redhead talked about some group called the Treblemakers, Beca didn't even look; she was distracted by the twinkle in the senior's eye. "So, are you interested?"

Beca snapped back to reality, "Oh. Sorry, it's just it's pretty lame."

The blonde spoke up for the first time, "Aca-scuse me? Synchronized lady dancing to a Mariah Carey chart-topper is not lame." Beca couldn't believe what she just said. Was she even listening to herself?

The redhead continued for the blonde, "We sing all over the world and participate in national championships. We're one of the best all-women a capella groups in the nation."

"On purpose?" That was all Beca could think of. The blonde senior didn't like her response.

"We played the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, you bitch." At least she said it with a smile.

The redhead continued on for the blonde, which seemed to happen often, "What Aubrey means to say is that we are a close-knit, talented group of ladies whose dream is to return to the national finals at Lincoln Center this year." She activated her puppy-dog eyes. "Help us turn our dreams into a reality?"

Those damn eyes.

Beca looked away and thought for a brief second. She really didn't want to do anything here. She promised herself before she left the taxi, no attachments. "Sorry. I don't even sing, but it was really nice to meet you guys." Beca turned away, flyer in hand, and continued her walk. She felt eyes on her back and quickly turned around to find the redhead dart her head at the ground. Beca shook it off.

* * *

"95.7 WBUJ. Music for the independent mind," came out smoothly over the speakers. Beca had decided to make some money by becoming an intern at the campus radio station. What could be better than working the radio and getting paid for it?

Walking through the room full of CDs and vinyls, Beca made her way to the booth where a man was sitting. As she approached the window, he came out. "Hey there."

"Hi."

"Have you been standing there long?" the man asked with a sexy European accent.

"No, I just got here." The tall boy walked back into the booth to pick up a box. She followed him.

"Freshmen aren't allowed in the booth," he said loudly. "I'm Luke, the station manager, and you must be Becky the intern?"

She hated people calling her Becky. "Actually, it's Beca."

"Okay, Beca, well here. Stack these CDs and when you're done there's more," he said setting down the box on a small and cluttered table. "Now, you'll be spending a lot of down-time here. My one rule is no sex on the desk. Since you're alone, I don't see that becoming a problem, but just don't break my rule. It's happened before." Luke gave Beca a small smile before returning to his booth. Beca took out a handful of CDs and sighed.

She didn't want to stack CDs; she wanted to play music and entertain people. But, since she'd have a lot of down-time, she could work on her homework here and make mixes back in her dorm. Beca smiled a bit as she stacked her first handful of albums. Her mixes were all she needed, and the more time she had to do those, the sooner she'd get to LA.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Warning: Spoilers!_**

* * *

_Showers. 20 minutes._

Chloe smiled as she read the simple message from Tom. She quickly threw her rope and towel into a bag and headed for the door. "Where do you think you're going?"

Spinning around, Chloe's face got warm. "I was going to go shower."

"With Tom?"

"Yes. Is that okay?" she replied with a little sass. Aubrey huffed and turned back around to face her computer.

"Have fun, I guess."

Chloe's phone vibrated as she was leaving the lobby of her dorm building.

_Freshman dorms. _

_Why?_

_They're too scared to go in there._

Chloe giggled to herself. It was true, your first few days of college were Hell when you had to use communal showers for the first time. She remembered her old friend showered at 1 am to avoid other people. Chloe had never had that problem; she had always been comfortable in her own skin, in front of others or not.

Scurrying into the mostly freshman dorm bathroom, there weren't any strictly "Freshman only" dormitories on campus, just dormitories which had most of its occupants recently graduate, she saw Tom at the very end of the showers wave her over. Joining him, she lost her clothes and latched onto him.

Not five minutes into their intense make out session someone else had decided then was a good time to shower. It wasn't the footsteps that make Chloe notice them, it was the voice. The girl was singing "Titanium," which was one of Chloe's favorite songs. Chloe kissed Tom's chest one last time before slipping out and investigating. Someone with that voice should have more of an audience than the empty showers.

A smile stretched across her face as Chloe slowly pulled back the shower curtain revealing the brunette from the Activities Fair. She couldn't help her eyes from wondering the small girl's body before speaking up. "You _can_ sing!"

The small brunette spun around frozen in fear. She reached for the shower curtain after turning off the water, but it slipped right out of her wet hands.

"How high does your belt go?" Chloe asked.

"My what? Oh my god!"

Getting straight to the point Chloe said, "You have to audition for the Bellas."

The brunette grabbed the curtain again and managed to keep ahold of it this time, successfully covering herself. Cowering in the furthest corner, she mumbled, "I can't concentrate on anything you're saying until you cover your junk..."

The redhead found herself inching forward. "Just consider it. One time we sang backup for Prince! His butt is so tiny I can hold it with like one hand. It's probably half the size of yours." Chloe crept too close while demonstrating Price's butt size and hit a shampoo bottle out of the brunette's hands. "Oops."

Beca looked at it and didn't even try to reach that far down. "Oh my god. Seriously? I am nude." She readjusted herself, putting her tattooed back to the redhead and covering her ass with the curtain.

Changing the topic Chloe asked, "You were singing titanium, right?"

"You know David Guetta?" Beca replied smiling a bit, surprised that someone who was into a capella had a good taste in music.

"Of course, yeah. That song is my jam- my _lady_ jam," Chloe added with a wink, obviously flustering the freshman further.

"That's nice..." Beca said quietly, hoping Chloe would get the impression she was putting off and leave.

"It is," she nodded, hands on her hips. "Song really builds," she added with another wink. She had to hold back a smirk as she saw the girl turn away yet again muttering how it was gross. "Could you sing it for me?"

"Dude, no! Get out!"

"Not for that reason. I'm not leaving here until you sing..." Chloe trailed off, feigning a yawn as she girl readjusted and turned around. She began on shaky ground, not as much confidence as she had when she was alone, as expected, but she seemed to build confidence once Chloe joined in. Chloe couldn't control her enthusiasm about how they sounded together; it was like magic. With their eyes locked on each other's, they finished the song strong. Chloe beamed with excitement. Beca cracked a rare smile, but found her eyes tailing down the redhead's neck to her collarbone to her breasts. She caught herself and looked away.

Breaking the silence, Chloe softly said, "Oh yeah, I'm pretty confident about...all this."

Beca had a goofy smile due to the awkwardness of the situation plastered to her face when she stated, "You should be." When Chloe turned to get Beca's towel, the brunette covered her face with her palm. Why did she do that?

She took the towel and covered herself with it. "Um...I still need to shower..."

Tom must have gotten bored all alone because the next thing the girls heard was "You have a lovely voice."

Chloe smiled up at him. She had trained him well. She looked back from Tom to a shocked Beca and back to Tom a few times before remembering what brought her to the showers in the first place. She flashed Beca one last smile before heading back with Tom. Instead of stepping into the shower with him, she grabbed her pants and started putting them on. Tom asked her what she was doing. "I have to head back. I forgot I have a thing with Aubrey tonight."

"But Chloe-"

"I promised her I'd go out tonight." Tom gave her a look that said _this is unbelievable_, but Chloe finished getting dress and headed back through the aisle of showers. She stopped at Beca's. She smacked the curtain to get the girl's attention. "What's your name?" She blurted out, scaring the brunette again.

"Beca."

Chloe smiled and said, "See you at auditions, Beca." Beca...that name felt right in Chloe's mouth.

* * *

Chloe returned to her dorm and Aubrey asked, "Back so soon?" Chloe shrugged as a smile spread across her face. Aubrey quirked an eyebrow. "What happened?" Chloe's smile grew wider as she shrugged again, putting her ear buds in and turning her iPod on.

A few days later, it was time for auditions. Aubrey and Chloe were the first to arrive, representing the Bellas, and the Treblemakers were second. Bumper was making loud, rude comments about how Aubrey threw up on stage during finals the year previous. "Don't let it get to you," Chloe whispered into her best friend's ear. "He's just a dick." Aubrey nodded, but stood up to make an announcement that nobody will stop the Bellas from winning finals this year, especially "egotistical big-headed garbage dirtballs."

Chloe watched all the auditions while keeping an open mind. She kept looking over at her captain to see how she was responding to the few people with talent who tried out. When a girl named Stacie came out, Aubrey's relief to see a girl who fit her bikini-body with semi-talent mold was evident on her face. A boy trying out for the Trebles was fantastic, Chloe remembered his name was Benji, and seemed to catch Aubrey's eye. He had a really strong and clear voice. Chloe nudged her friend and smiled when the boy walked off stage. Aubrey blushed a little but didn't say anything. There was one rule the Bellas had that could never be broken: no sexual relations with a Treblemaker.

Just as Chloe started to doubt if Beca was coming or not, she walked on stage. The redhead was so happy to see her convincing had worked. "I didn't know we had to prepare that song," the brunette said quietly.

"That's okay. Sing anything you'd like." And sing she did. Her talent was unmatched among the other students who auditioned that day. Chloe's eyes trailed along the small woman's body as she sat on the ground smacking and flipping around a cup, making a really catchy beat. Chloe had to peel her eyes off of the younger girl's deep blue eyes to check Aubrey's expression. She seemed to be a little shocked that the girl who claimed she couldn't sing was amazing. Aubrey didn't dare say how well the girl sang when Chloe asked, but the redhead knew her friend was impressed.

* * *

Aca-initiation night was upon her, the dreaded night of oaths, promises, and beer. Beca didn't even really want to be a Barden Bella, but it seemed like the least harmful activity she could do without wanting to shoot her brains out. Her father had made a deal with her; if she joined a club and survived her first year of college, she could quit and he'd pay to move her to LA. Of course Beca complied.

"Oh, yay...stone seats," Beca complained to the girl next to her. Her name was Fat Amy. The girl laughed and said she was just glad Aubrey let her fat ass in the group. Beca stayed towards the outside of the party area, up high in the seats watching everyone else have fun when all of a sudden the ginger was in her face. She said hi and pulled on Beca's arm, pulling her close. Chloe bent in and their lips were just inches apart. Beca could feel warm breath against her face. "Hi."

"I'm so glad that I met you. I think we're going to be really fast friends."

Beca couldn't tell if she was drunk yet or not. "Yeah, well you saw me naked so..." she trailed off and added a wink for effect. Chloe laughed and pulled away.

"I'm going to go get a drink. Do you want one?" She wasn't drunk yet?

"No thanks."

"Are you sure? Not even water?"

"Nope."

"Suit yourself! This ginger needs her jiggle juice!" the redhead exclaimed, shaking her butt. _God help me,_ Beca thought.

Beca took a seat where she was and not long after a sober Fat Amy joined her. Aubrey followed. "You know, guys, there are like ten of us."

"Yeah?"

"That means that one of us is probably a lesbian."

"You think? Which one do you think it is?" Aubrey asked, her eyes washing over the pit in the center of the party.

Amy pointed over at Cynthia Rose, "My money's on black beauty. Don't tell her I said that." Beca choked a little, trying to conceal a laugh. It was obvious Cynthia Rose was gay, she was staring right at Stacie's rack. She probably didn't even consider it a secret. Aubrey made a motion with her hand as if she was locking her lips and throwing away the key. The three sat there for a while making small talk, but Beca was listening more than talking. She felt a little excluded by Aubrey. It didn't bother her, but this party was to get to know each other, wasn't it?

Once Amy and Aubrey's drinks settled into their bloodstream, they left to go grind on some pathetic aca-people in the pit. Beca stayed behind alone with her thoughts until the redhead returned. Yet again Beca couldn't tell if the girl was smashed or just insane. "Are you sure you don't want something to drink, Beca?"

"I'm fine, thanks."

"You're eyes are really blue, you know that? Not as blue as mine, but like...they're brighter when your eyeliner is on." Beca nodded smiling and knowing now the girl was most likely drunk.

"Is your friend coming?"

"Friend?"

"The guy from...the other day." Chloe looked a little confused. She seemed to have forgotten all about the boy, and hopefully the whole day.

"Oh, Tom? He's coming."

"Are you two..."

"Oh god no!" she laughed. "No. We're just buddies."

"Buddies who meet in showers...naked?"

"Yep," the redhead said like it was a normal thing. Just then her phone vibrated and she read the message. "That's Tom now. He'll be here in a minute."

"Fantastic," Beca replied sarcastically.

"Come dance with us," Chloe begged, "it'll be fun!"

"I don't drink."

"Fine, poopy head. Be that way," Chloe pouted while she stood up and left yet again. She grinned back at Beca as she walked down the concrete steps. Not five minutes later, Chloe was in Tom's arms with a drink in one hand and his hair in another.

Another freshman Bella named Jessica had found her way over to Beca. They made small talk. She wasn't into drinking either. Something she did mention was surprising. Her boyfriend was a Treblemaker. Beca asked if Aubrey knew and she said yes; her boyfriend and her had just talked to her about it and, since they've been dating for a few years, Aubrey decided to allow it. She also said she wasn't supposed to tell anyone and she giggled. Her boyfriend was named Bryan. She pointed him out in the crowd of boys at the far side of the party. Not too bad. Jessica continued to name the rest of the Trebles. Apparently there was a guy named Unicycle who carried a unicycle around with him all the time. Beca had no idea how stupid you'd have to be to carry a unicycle around.

Apparently very stupid, or just drunk 24/7. The said boy had arrived to the party two hours late and made his drunken way to Beca first. He had a bushy afro and, of course, a unicycle in hand. He sat down next to the girl. "Hi there." Beca didn't say anything. She turned her body away from him a little. The stench of beer coming from him was making her a little sick to her stomach. "Are you mute?" No response. "I can dig a mute girl with a hot tattoo." Beca turned away from him a little more. "Want a drink?" Beca shook her head. "Alright, whatever." He sat there in silence watching the party. He turned towards Beca once more. "So what's up with you? Are you one of those girls whose all dark and mysterious, then she takes off her glasses and that amazingly scary ear spike, and you realize that she was beautiful the whole time?"

"I don't wear glasses."

"Then you're half way there," he said with a cocky grin. "And you can speak."

"Go away, Unicycle Boy. Can't you see she isn't interested in drunks?"

"I'm not drunk! Here, push me. See if I fall." The boy stood up and Chloe pushed him lightly and he crashed to the ground. "Nevermind..." he mumbled as he brushed himself off and made his way down to his members.

"Thanks," Beca said with a sincere grin noticing Tom wasn't with the redhead. "Where's your toy?"

"He left."

"Oh." Chloe sat down next to Beca in the seat opposite of where Unicycle was.

"Having fun?" Chloe asked.

"You could say that."

"I could." The redhead received another text message from Tom. She was holding out the phone just enough for Beca to see what was on the screen if she turned her head a little to the left. _What was up with you tonight? You weren't yourself._

Chloe typed back, but Beca couldn't read what she was saying. The girl sighed a little as she took a sip of her drink.

Another notification came quickly. _It just was different. You felt distant. It's like you weren't even there. BTW the new bellas are wack._

Wack? Really? Wack? Chloe didn't reply this time, instead she grabbed Beca's arm and stood up. "Let's go dance."

"Dance? No. No dancing."

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Please?" This was the second time Beca actually looked the senior in the eyes all night. Her blue eyes were sparkling. Chloe's smile turned into a pout as she noticed Beca was actually thinking about getting up. "For me?"

Beca went limp. "I can't; I'm paralyzed from the neck down." Chloe pulled on the younger girl once more, flinging her onto her feet.

"I can carry you," she sat as she reached around Beca's back. The brunette moved away quickly, suddenly warm in the face.

"It's a miracle! I can walk! Hallelujah!" Beca let herself be dragged down to the sweaty group of drunks and escaped as soon as she was separated from Chloe's grip. She slipped away and made a break for her dorm. She found herself feeling a little bad for ditching Chloe, but she figured the girl wouldn't think much of it. Beca didn't know why she felt so bad about leaving. She shouldn't care. She promised herself no attachments.

Back at the party, Chloe found herself alone. She joined Aubrey who was sitting by the beer kegs. "Want some?" the blonde asked. Chloe shook her head and peered down at her red solo cup. There was still some water left in it. "Have you drank at all tonight?" Chloe shook her head once more. "That's not like you at all," the blonde said with a concerned tone. "Is everything okay?" Chloe smiled weakly, running her finger around the rim of her cup.


	3. Chapter 3

The first Bellas practice took place the day after initiation. Two girls were already kicked out from being "Treble-boned," as Audrey put it. Beca couldn't believe it was a real thing. "You can be with whomever you'd like, just not a Treble."

"Why? That's stupid," a girl in the back said.

"Yeah, I agree. I can't control who I have sex with. He's a hunter," a brunette named Stacie said motioning to her crouch.

"You call it a dude?" Beca chuckled.

"Enough!" Aubrey clapped her hands, getting everyone's attention. "If you guys don't agree with how I run things you can just-" the blonde started gagging. She turned away from everyone who looked scared and confused. Chloe walked over and rubbed her friend's back.

"Shhh...calm down. We don't want to repeat what happened last year," Chloe said in a whisper. Lilly heard her and asked a question. Nobody knew what she said, so she pulled out her phone and beckoned everyone over as she started to watch last year's performance. It turned out that Aubrey threw up on stage, causing the Bellas to lose.

Once the laughter ceased, Aubrey officially started practice. In simple terms, it was Hell. It lasted forever and once the girls finally got into the groove of things, Aubrey switched the activity. The last activity they focused on was choreography. Beca was having a hard time getting the moves down, so Chloe decided to help her out. The senior grabbed the freshman's hands and helped her do the motions all while Beca protested due mostly to the warmth in her cheeks. It wasn't embarrassing to Beca to have Chloe help her, so she didn't understand why she was bushing from the interaction.

By the end of practice, Aubrey and Beca were at each other's throats. Beca had recognized the dance they were learning from the vomit video. Aubrey was planning already to use the same songs and choreography from the year previous. Even with what little Beca had already seen, she knew it wouldn't take the girls far. They had to be different to succeed, but Aubrey's mind was set in stone. Beca looked at Chloe to try to get her to back her up, but she just stood there. Apparently co-captains don't have much of a say in decisions, or much say in anything.

* * *

"Beca?" The small girl whirled around to find the familiar redhead. She almost dropped the CDs in her hands. "Do you work here?"

"Yeah. What are you doing here?" Beca choked out.

"Well, Luke-" Just as if he had heard his name, Luke came out of the booth. "Speak of the devil."

"Hey Chloe. Have you met the new intern?"

"Yeah," Beca spoke up. "We know each other." Chloe shot her a warm smile before grabbing Luke's arm. Luke turned to head back to into the booth.

"Beca, you want to hang out tomorrow after practice?"

"I have two classes tomorrow."

"Then how about Saturday?" Chloe smiled. Beca held back a sigh. She didn't really want to spend time with anyone. She wanted to make music in her room and just get lost in it without any distractions. Chloe sensed she wasn't wanted due to the length of time Beca was taking to think. "We don't have to if you don't want to."

"No, I want to. Saturday is fine," Beca replied too quickly. Her small smile fell. That wasn't what she wanted to say at all, but it just came out. But Chloe looked so happy that Beca had agreed to hang out. Beca couldn't help but grin. The freshman had to be with the Bellas for an entire year anyways so why not make a friend or two along the way? Specifically Chloe.

Beca felt drawn to her for some unknown reason. The woman just put off a good vibe. She never seemed to be stressed nor upset. She always had a smile on her face. She made other people feel good about themselves. She was nothing like Beca had thought she'd be when she first seen the redhead, all primp and proper in high heels. She expected the woman to be one of those preppy girls with the _I'm better than you_ attitudes. She called the Bellas the tits for Pete's sake. What kind of person used that expression?

"95.7 WBUJ. Music for the independent mind" bounced throughout room. But this time, instead of putting on another song, Luke continued to talk. "I've got Miss Barden here with me today. It's her first time on the show this semester. How have you been, Miss Barden?"

"Fine, thanks. And you?" the cheery voice that belonged to Chloe's came through the speakers like she was standing right next to Beca.

"I'm good," Luke laughed. "Now, let's get down to business. Tell me what's new on campus this year."

"Well Luke, there's..." Chloe continued listing all the new activities, groups and clubs the students have created and how different it is this year now that she's a senior. Beca had no idea the redhead did a talk show with Luke. She didn't even know the station had a talk show.

"Okay, we'll play a few songs and then we'll come back and answer your questions. Call us at 1-800-BARDEN-U" Chloe came out of the booth alone.

"I didn't know you worked here."

"Yeah, I figured it'd be fun," Beca responded, watching Chloe run her hands through the box of CDs. "I didn't know you had a talk show."

"Oh, I don't. It's Luke's. I just come on every month or so. Keeps it fresh, you know." Chloe took out a handful of CDs and stacked them on the shelf. "This used to be my job, actually. I interned here my freshman year too."

"Really?" Beca asked genuinely interested.

"Yeah, Luke did too. I didn't come back my sophomore year. Schoolwork and a capella took up too much of my day. I needed some me time." Beca nodded.

"Why do you use the name Miss Barden on the show?"

"I don't want people to know who I am," Chloe laughed. "I share a lot of personal things on there. I've poured my heart out into the microphone on multiple occasions. Aubrey doesn't even know I do it; she doesn't listen to the campus radio."

"That makes sense. Aubrey doesn't seem like the type to listen to David Guetta or Lady Gaga."

"She does like that stuff. She's just under a lot of pressure to be the perfect student. Her parents didn't really let her out of the shrink wrap often."

"I don't know what that even means," Beca laughed.

"Neither do I," Chloe laughed with her friend, her hair bouncing off her shoulders. "I better get back to the booth."

"Hello there, first caller! What's your question for Miss Barden?" Luke's voice boomed over the speakers.

"Hi there. Yeah, so I was wondering how do you know when you're in love?"

"That's a bit of a loaded question there, my friend. Honestly, I can't answer that; never been in that situation. I would guess it's when you notice small things about the other person, little quirks and details most people don't notice. That's my guess. Sorry."

"Caller number two, what's your question?"

"What is your view on gay marriage?"

"You don't have to answer that, Miss Barden," Luke surprisingly said. Beca paused what she was doing and sat down to listen to the rest of the talk show.

"I want to. People believe religion and beliefs have a lot to do with gay marriage, but it doesn't. Here's my answer: Marry the one you love, whether it be a man, a woman, a transgender, it doesn't matter as long as you're happy. Love is love."

"Thank you, caller number two..." Luke continued taking calls and answering them with Chloe. Beca leaned against a shelf of old albums as she listened. Luke and her were being pretty playful at one point and Beca couldn't help but wonder if Luke was another one of Chloe's boy toys. Tom popped into Beca's mind. What happened between him and Chloe? What did he mean by different? Beca shook the thoughts from her mind and focused in on Chloe's words booming overhead. She made herself as comfortable as she could and closed her eyes. The last thing she remembered hearing before falling asleep was Chloe's random snort she let out as she was laughing.


	4. Chapter 4

When Saturday rolled around, Beca found herself actually excited to have Chloe come over. She even cleaned her side of the room for once.

Beca had just opened up one of her nearly finished mixes when she heard a knock at the door. Chloe greeted the girl with a warm smile when the door opened. "Hey, come on in."

"Thanks. Wow, that's a big TV!"

"Yeah. It's my roommate's. She's gone for the day, so we can use it if you want."

"That'd be great because I bought over some movies," the redhead said, pouring out the contents of her bag. "I've got your classics: E.T., Breakfast at Tiffany's, Halloween, The Thing, Clueless. And then some I just love."

Beca looked at the rather large pile of movies on her bed. "So you watch a lot of movies, huh?"

"Well, no. Most of these are Aubrey's. I didn't know what kind of stuff you like."

"In that case, you didn't have to bring anything."

"Why?" the redhead asked. "Do you not like movies?" Beca just smiled at her. "Like not any at all?"

"Well I saw a porno at a high school party once. Liked the movie,"Beca said with a huge smirk. Chloe burst into laughter.

"So you really don't like movies? Don't you like the endings?"

"Most of them are predictable. The guy gets the girl, that kid sees dead people, the underdogs win, the crazy serial killer gets killed, etc."

"They're not all like that, but the endings aren't always what matters; it's the journey."

"Gosh, Chloe, that's so deep. I'm tearing up," Beca said with sarcasm.

"Oh ha ha, Mitchell. So what do you want to do then?"

Beca picked up one of the cases. "How about this one? House at the End of the Street." She handed it over to her friend.

"Yeah you'll like this one. Jennifer Lawrence is great in it."

"Who?"

"You really need to watch some movies." Chloe walked over and put the disk in Kimmy Jin's DVD player and grabbed the TV remote from her desk. She plopped down on the couch after grabbing the blanket from Beca's bed. Beca went over to save her mix. "What's that?" Chloe asked, seeing the screen.

"It's a song I'm working on. I want to be a music producer."

"That's so awesome. I went through a phase in middle school where I wanted to make music like that, but I could never figure it out."

"Oh yeah? I could teach you if you want."

"Thanks, but I think I'll stick with singing."

"Alright," Beca said sitting down next to Chloe on the couch. She never realized how small it was; she rarely used it. It was Kimmy Jin's, actually. The brunette didn't feel as awkward as she would have anticipated with being so close to Chloe. She was comfortable. She found it easy to be herself around the senior.

Twenty minutes into the movie, Beca spoke up. "Is her dad dead or something? Why doesn't she just live with him if she has so many mommy issues."

Chloe chuckled, "I don't know. They never say."

"That's stupid."

"You're stupid." Chloe stuck out her tongue.

"Just shut up and watch the movie."

"Says the one who doesn't like movies."

"Okay, maybe I like this one."

Later on, Chloe's neck was getting a little stiff, so she rested her head on Beca's shoulder and stretched her legs out a bit. Beca stopped watching the movie then. She looked over the best she could to see Chloe wrapped up like a burrito leaning on her. For some reason, Beca felt butterflies in her stomach. Why? Because of Chloe? Because of the awkward sexual tension in the movie? Beca shook the thought away and tried to focus in on the film. She crossed her arms under the blanket and kicked her feet a few times. The butterflies still wouldn't leave. "Stop moving. This is my favorite part." Beca obeyed and watched the quiet scene. "Do you see it?"

"See what?"

"The face in the tree they're talking about."

"No."

"Yeah, me neither," Chloe laughed.

During the death scene of the killer, Beca closed her eyes. She had to; the movie was actually scaring her. Chloe jumped and grabbed Beca's arm tightly. "I know what happens, but this scene just gets me every time." Beca opened her eyes and smiled. Chloe was smashed against Beca's side as if she was trying to hide from the screen, yet her eyes were locked on the TV. Beca found it cute. Whoa, wait. Cute? _Cute? _What was happening? Beca never thought anything people did was cute.

"Did you like it?" Chloe asked, standing up to stretch.

"It wasn't too bad. Wasn't predictable at all. I really didn't see that twist coming."

"Want to watch another one?" Beca groaned causing Chloe to laugh.

"Fine."

"Pick one of these three: Easy A, Zombieland or Crazy, Stupid, Love."

"Don't they all have the same actress in it? Emma Slone or something."

"Emma Stone. She's amazing. Oh, we could watch this instead. I haven't seen this one yet."

Beca read the title, "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World? Never heard of it."

"It has Mary Elizabeth Winstead in it."

"Who?"

"Yeah, you _really_ need to watch more movies."


	5. Chapter 5

"Becs, I know you're not busy. Be ready in thirty minutes."

"How do you know I'm not out at a party right now?"

"You don't have any friends to go party with."

"Ouch, Dad."

"Well, none that I know of. That's why we're going to dinner. I want you to tell us all about how college is going so far."

"Us?"

"Shelia and I."

"Oh," Beca replied quietly. She hated her step-mom, she was rude, but her father kept trying to get them to be friends. Beca resented the woman and blamed her for her parents' divorce.

"She's trying, Beca. It wouldn't kill you to try too."

"We'll see," Beca said and hung up. She threw on a pair of dirty jeans and a tank top. She lied down on her bed listening to music.

A half hour later, Beca was greeted with a frown from her father. "It's a black tie kind of place. Get dressed. You have five minutes."

"I don't have anything black tie," Beca protested.

"I don't care. Borrow something from Kimmy Jin," Mr. Mitchell walked out and shut the door behind him. Beca growled and went to her closet. She did have something that could pass as black tie, but it was her Bellas uniform. She hadn't worn it yet. "Hurry, Becs. We have a reservation," her father said through the door. Beca quickly got dressed and tied her scarf around her neck. If she was going to wear this thing, why not go all out? It might embarrass Shelia, given the fact the outfit looked ridiculous.

The car ride wasn't very fun either. There were long awkward silences, and Beca was sick of looking out the window. She started scrolling through her contacts on her phone and stopped at Chloe's name. Chloe had given her the number after practice one day, but she hadn't texted her yet. Beca sighed nervously and started typing. _Hey_

The reply came quickly. _Hey. Who's this?_

Beca got red in the face, she forgot Chloe didn't have her number. _Beca Mitchell_

_Beca! What's up?_

_Nothing much, just going out to eat with my dad and step-monster_

_Where at?_

_Some steak place not too far from campus. It's black tie. I'm being forced to wear my bellas uniform_

_omg really? _

_yep. We're here. bye_

_see you soon~_

_what? _

There was no reply. Beca just laughed awkwardly and got out of the car. "What are you going to order, Beca?" Shelia asked.

"I don't know; we're not inside yet," Beca snapped back.

* * *

"I'd like a sirloin steak, medium rare, with a Coke please," Beca ordered to the waiter. He nodded and left.

"What are The Bellas exactly? Are they a group of flight attendants in training?" Shelia asked, being serious. Beca shot her a weird look and said no.

"Becs, who were you texting in the car?" Mr. Mitchell was trying to get Beca to open up a bit. His daughter lived twenty minutes away now, but he barely heard from her.

"Kimmy Jin," she lied.

"Really?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. He had experienced the Korean's coldness firsthand.

"Yeah. I was reminding her it's her turn to vacuum."

"That's cute, sharing chores," Shelia said, trying to get into the conversation. Beca shot her another weird look. The waiter returned with everyone's drinks and Beca watched him walk back into the kitchen. She saw a flash of red in the corner of her eye, but when she turned to look, it was gone. A few seconds later, Beca felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Beca!" She turned and looked up, finding Chloe's warm smile. She was wearing a simple blue dress. Beca grinned and said hi.

"This is my dad. He teaches at Barden. And this is my step-mother, Shelia."

"Hello again, Mr. Mitchell."

"Hi Chloe. School been going well?"

"As always," she beamed. She grabbed Beca's bicep and pulled a little bit, indicating she wanted the freshman to get up. "I need to talk to you about some Bella stuff. Come join me." Beca didn't even to look to her dad for an okay, she got up and followed the senior to a booth far from her family.

"What do you need to talk to me about?" she asked, sliding into the booth.

"Nothing," Chloe smiled.

"Thank you so much. Seriously. It was so awkward," Beca laughed, relaxing her posture.

"Oh, no problem. I figured when you called your step-mom a step-monster, you needed someone to save you." Beca grinned at her friend. "The uniform fits you well."

Beca blushed a tiny bit, "Yeah, well, it's not comfortable. Are these really what we have to wear to _every_ gig?"

Chloe chuckled. "They suck, but they're tradition. If I could convince Aubrey to ditch them, I would."

Beca set her elbows on the table. "Why can't you? You're co-captain, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but I don't get to do much." Chloe looked a little sad. "Aubrey and I are best friends, but she's so controlling. I kind of just let her do her thing."

Beca leaned in a little further, acting like she was sharing a secret nobody else was allowed to know. "Why don't we overrule her and let you take charge?"

"Beca Mitchell, are you trying to start a revolution?"

Beca threw her hands up, "You said it, not me!" Chloe laughed as the waiter arrived to her table for the first time. It was the same guy who waited on Beca.

"You want me to bring your meal here, Miss?"

"Yes please. Sorry about all that."

"It's no problem, Miss. And what would you like today?" he asked, now looking at Chloe. She ordered a salad and a Mountain Dew.

"They have Mountain Dew here?" Beca asked once the waiter left.

"They have Pepsi and Coke products here. It's on the menu."

"Damn." Beca twirled the straw in her drink around, pushing the ice side to side as she waited for her meal. She untied her scarf and set it on the table. "These things are itchy."

The waiter was back much sooner than Beca had expected with their food. Beca quickly started in on her steak. She chewed her first bite a few times before swallowing. "They said their steak was the best around. They lie."

Chloe laughed, almost choking on her salad. "We can go somewhere else."

"Nah, this is better than what I normally get."

Towards the end of their meal, Chloe spoke up, "There is one thing that somewhat pertains to the Bellas."

"Oh yeah?" Beca wiped her mouth with her napkin and focused all her attention on the redhead.

"This is really hard to say," the girl said with a loud sigh. "I...I have nodes." Beca's jaw dropped. She knew what nodes were, as most people who knew anything about music did, and she didn't expect that to be coming out the redhead's mouth.

"I'm so sorry Chloe. When did you find out?"

Chloe's hands flew up to her face to shield the tears. "A week ago," she choked out through light sobs.

"Does Aubrey know?"

"No. You're the first person I've told." Chloe lost it at this point. Her hands were dripping with tears and all Beca could hear was her loud sobs and shallow breaths. She didn't know what to do. She wasn't good with people, much less bawling ones. But, Chloe wasn't just a person; she was Beca's friend. Beca got up and slid into the other side of the booth where Chloe was sitting. She awkwardly put her arms around Chloe. As soon as the senior felt Beca's hand on her back, she moved closer, allowing herself to be swept up in Beca's arms.

Beca sat there awkwardly for a minute looking around. Everyone around looked over at her then looked back to their respective parties. Nobody seemed to care. Beca looked back at the mess in her arms. "Shh. Everything will be okay. Just don't push yourself, and you'll be okay."

"They sit on your windpipe and crush your dreams!" the redhead sobbed. Beca began to pet Chloe's hair in attempt to calm her down.

"Don't let them." Chloe looked up at Beca with red eyes. Her make-up was smeared all over her face, yet Beca couldn't think of a time when anyone looked as beautiful as she did in that exact moment. Two pair sat there for what felt like an eternity with their eyes locked, but, in reality, it was mere seconds. The waiter interrupted them. "Are you ready for the bill?" Beca looked up at the man and pointed across the room to her father.

"Give it to him. He owes me."

"Would you like any boxes?"

Beca let go of Chloe and shook her head. Chloe did the same. Beca moved back to her side and grabbed her purse. "We should go before my dad realizes I gave him our bill."

Chloe chuckled and nodded, pulling out her car keys.

"Have you started preparing for the riff-off?" Chloe asked during the drive back to campus.

"What the Hell is a riff-off?"

"It's like a battle of the voices kind of thing. A category is picked and then the four a capella groups cut each other off with different songs. Like, if the song someone's singing has the word 'love' in it, you can cut the person off by singing a song starting with the word 'love' at that point. It's kind of hard to explain without demonstrating. You'll get it once we start."

"When is it?"

"Next weekend."

"Do I have to go?"

"Everyone goes. It's at the old pool. It has fantastic acoustics." Beca sighed. "Don't be a poop. It'll be fun!"

"We'll see."

* * *

"Thanks again for rescuing me," Beca said with a smile as the car pulled up the her dorm building.

Chloe smiled, "Yeah, it was fun. If you ever need rescuing again, feel free to text me."

"Will do. Oh, and I won't tell anyone about your injury."

"Thanks Beca. Have a good night," she said with tears stinging her eyes once again.

"Night," Beca shut the door and walked inside. She plopped down on her desk chair once she got to her room and opened up an empty file to begin a new mix. She titled it "Titanium 2.0."


	6. Chapter 6

"Welcome to the riff-off!" Loud hoots and hollers followed. Justin quickly went over the rules, expecting the newcomers to have prior knowledge of what's going on. "Okay, first category is…Ladies of the 80's!" Chloe saw Aubrey's face light up as she ran to the center of the pool. Just as she opened her mouth, Bumper started singing. A disappointed Aubrey returned to Chloe.

Chloe wasn't worried about winning. She cared more about what Beca thought of it all. This was her first taste of a capella outside of rehearsals. The BU Harmonics cut off the Trebles and started singing some Madonna. Chloe looked over at Aubrey and watched as the gears in her head started to turn. She smiled and told everyone to follow her lead. She ran to the front of the group and started singing "Hit Me With Your Best Shot." Chloe smiled at Beca as she saw the freshman start to warm up to the situation. She had joined Aubrey at the front, singing back-up vocals for her. Just as the whole group was getting into the song, a High Note surprisingly cut them off. The girl sang two notes and got distracted. Justin stopped her and said her group was cut off, meaning they were disqualified.

"So we just go with whatever works?" Beca questioned Chloe, moving back into the group.

"Yep. Whatever you want, as long as it fits the category." She smiled at the younger girl hoping she would try to cut someone off.

"Next category is…songs about sex."

"Sex?!"

Stacie's face lit up and she put her hand on Aubrey's shoulder, lightly squeezing it, reassuring her they can't lose this round. Her and Cynthia Rose ran out to the center to sing some Rihanna. They were eventually cut off by the Trebles. Donald and Stacie had a small battle, inching closer each time they cut the other off. Aubrey had to go get Stacie before she did something stupid. Chloe looked over at Beca and saw a huge smirk on her face just before she ran out and started rapping. Chloe's jaw dropped; she had no idea the girl could rap, especially that well. She was unfamiliar with the song, just as the rest of the girls were. "Rumpshakers…?" Aubrey's voice cracked.

Amy was the first one to recognize the song. She walked out and joined Beca. With two sets of vocals, the rest of the girls could get a better feel of the beat, and they joined in. They sounded fantastic together. Chloe's grin stretched from ear to ear as she watched the group mesh. If they could sound like this all the time they would dominate the nationals. The only one who looked out of place was Aubrey, which was to be expected; she never was able to let loose easily. Beca and Chloe made eye contact, causing Chloe to grin even wider, as if it was possible. Most of the time, Chloe's eyes were glued to Beca. She looked so in her element. She looked so comfortable. It was pleasing to see her have so much fun. Chloe's had a glimmer in her eye as she watched the freshman. Aubrey definitely noticed where Chloe's attention was, but Chloe didn't notice.

Everyone but the Trebles joined in singing with the Bellas. Bumper smirked as he saw the BU Harmonics join in, realizing they were disqualified for singing with another team. He looked like he knew something the Bellas didn't. Chloe noticed but shrugged it off. She looked back to Beca who was mesmerized by everyone's participation in her song. Chloe could tell her eyes were moist as she laughed hard and waved to a large group high above her. Beca made her way back into the group of Bellas and finished the song. Everyone cheered for her. Chloe squeezed her arm and flashed her a giant grin.

"Sorry ladies, but the word you had to match was 'it' and, you said 'it's.' You are cut off!" Justin said, giving the Trebles their trophy. Aubrey yelled that she had never heard of that rule before and made the girls get in an aca-huddle.

"Before we go to bed, we need to write down everything we did wrong."

"That was_ awesome_. It was spontaneous and brilliant. We need to do something like _that_ for our competitions," Beca said.

"Our set is perfect as it is. I'm not changing it because of this."

"Whatever," Beca turned to walk off before the meeting was over, butChloe stopped her.

"I really want to hear some of your mixes. Can I come over after I'm done here?"

Beca smiled, "Yeah. I'll meet you there." She headed back to her dorm.

"Chloe, I need have a talk with you."

"What's up?"

"It's about your toner."

"I don't have one?"

"It's pretty obvious that you do. You can't hide anything from me," Aubrey said, pushing her hair off her shoulders. "You need to control it. You can't let this _thing _get in the way of us getting to finals."

"Aubrey, I seriously have no idea what you're talking about."

"Whatever," Aubrey huffed. "Don't come home tonight."

"Why?"

"Just don't, okay?"

"Oh my god, Aubrey!" Chloe clapped her hands excitedly.

Aubrey blushed a little and stormed off, "Shut up."

In Beca's dorm, Chloe made herself comfortable on the bed. Beca was sitting in her chair opening her file of finished mixes. "Here, put these headphones on. This is the most recent one I've finished." Chloe obeyed and put her large headphones on. Her jaw dropped for the second time that night. She bobbed her head and tapped her hand to the beat. She took off the headphones when the song finished.

"Beca...you're fantastic! I could have never imagined those songs together in any way, but now it all makes sense."

"Thanks. It was pretty simple actually. I'm in the middle of another song right now."

"Can I hear it?"

"I don't let anyone listen to them until they're finished."

"Even me?" Chloe batted her eyelashes and tried to look as cute as possible. Beca looked down at her keyboard and shook her head.

"Nope, not even you."

"I'm going to snoop around your room for a bit if you want to finish that up. I want to hear it before I fall asleep."

"Fall asleep?"

"Oh yeah...is it okay if I stay over tonight?" Beca shrugged with a smile before putting her headphones on and opening a track that wasn't "Titanium 2.0," which she still hadn't finished. Chloe dug into the CDs and other things which lined Beca's wall. She went through a stack of old albums from groups she hadn't heard of before. She grabbed another stack and found a small box behind it. Curious, Chloe replaced the stack in her hands with the box. She looked back to make sure Beca wasn't watching. Her eyes were closed and her fingers were tapping along to the beat of the mystery song. Chloe turned back and opened the small box to find small folded papers, like little notes. Chloe took one out and opened it. It said '_Joined the Bellas.' _Chloe took out another note that said '_Survived first exam.' _She realized it was a box of notes containing memorable things from the school year as she read a few more. They weren't anything spectacular, but Chloe was interested in what her fellow Bella thought was worth writing down. She pored out the rest of the notes and opened them one by one. Chloe read one that said '_Was saved by Chloe.' _The next one read '_Hung out with Chloe.'_

_'Learned movies aren't so bad.'_

_'Miss Barden's radio show.'_

_'Ambushed in shower.'_

_'Texted Chloe for the first time.'_

The next few Chloe opened simply read '_Chloe'_. She gasped lightly. She quickly looked back to make sure Beca hadn't heard her before muttering, "What?" She scooped up the small papers and shoved them back in the box. She put the box away and made sure the stack of CDs were in place just as they were before. She moved to a different shelf and started looking through there, acting like she hadn't just peeked into Beca's mind. "Finished!" Beca announced, turning back around.

"Already?"

"Yeah, I was almost done. Come here," she held out her headphones to the senior who put them on swiftly. Beca hit play and watched the expression on her friend's face change from content to excited to impressed. A smirk developed on her face and didn't leave the rest of the night. Nothing made her happier than seeing a person fall in love with her music, especially if that person was Chloe.


	7. Chapter 7

Beca was falling asleep in her chair as Aubrey stood at the front of the room lecturing. She was going over some sort of guidelines, which was causing lots of protest from the other Bellas. Chloe, who was sitting next to the sleepy girl, poked her arm. "What?" Beca yawned.

"What are you going to go as?" Chloe asked in a hushed whisper. Beca rubbed her eyes, not knowing what the redhead was talking about, and looked around the room. Aubrey was arguing with Stacie about what they were going to dress up as.

"I'm a cat! The leader is always a sexy cat!"

"Not if I dress up as a cat too!"

"Aca-scuse me?"

"What's going on?" Beca turned to Chloe.

"The Alphas' Annual Halloween Bash. We're all going."

"Do we have to?"

"I think Aubrey wants to show us off. If people see us, they might want to hire us to sing and stuff like that. We need funding, and the school isn't giving us any."

"Everyone be there on Saturday _in costume_! No sexy cats! Dismissed!" Aubrey yelled from the front of the room.

Beca got up and flung her backpack over her shoulder. "What are you going to be?" Chloe followed her out of the building.

"I have a few ideas…"

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"You'll see on Saturday."

"Not if I die in a tragic car accident first."

"Beca, don't say that." The brunette shrugged. "Do you have any ideas for a costume?"

"Let's just say I'll be the girl who is hanging from the curtain rod in the shower."

"Dark today, aren't we?"

"Just being honest."

"Alrighty then. See you Saturday. And lighten up a bit; it's Halloween!"

"People who usually say stuff like that are the first to die!" Beca called after her friend who had left to go home already. She had no idea what she was going to be for Halloween. She wanted to be something classic but original, yet not so obscure everyone asked her what she was all night long. That'd just make the party worse. She thought about classic costumes during the walk home. She looked up at the sky. "A moon? This early…that's odd." A grin crept upon her face. She had her idea.

* * *

"Is Chloe here yet?" Beca questioned Aubrey, who, in fact, was dressed as a sexy black cat.

"No, she wasn't dressed when I left either. I hope she won't be long."

"You hope what isn't long, what?" Fat Amy said walking up to the two. "How are you aca-bitches enjoying the party? These frat boys are attractive, right? If I didn't already have so many boyfriends, I'd be with them right now. By the way, nice costume, Beca. Very scary," she complimented as she ran her hands over the fur sticking out of Beca's back. "So what are you? Some kind of dog?"

"I'm a werewolf. I've changed forms and my fur is busting out through my clothes."

"You might want to take care of that. In Tasmania, we wax to avoid these kinds of situations."

"Amy, no, I'm a supernatural being and-"

"Oh my god," Aubrey interrupted as Chloe took her place by Beca's side. "Did you guys plan this?"

"Plan what?" Beca turned to find Chloe in a skimpy Red Riding Hood costume with a plunging neckline. Beca's eyes snaked along the tight fitted dress. "Oh..." Her eyes made their way to Chloe's face who was looking at the other girls. "No, we didn't plan this, Aubrey." The blonde gave her a weird look. "Nice cape," Beca added before moving her attention to the other Bellas.

Chloe's eyes quickly ran over Beca's outfit. She had fur sticking out from cuts and holes in an old, flannel shirt paired with stained jeans. She had long, black and obviously fake nails on. Her hair was frizzy and mimicked a mane. "Thanks. I like your fur. Isn't it a little warm?" Her eyes shot to Aubrey who was turning away from the small group. Chloe lunged forward and grabbed her friend's arm. "You make a really nice cat," she said with a smile. Fat Amy recognized the awkward shift in everyone's attitude, so she sneaked out to go join Stacie at the keg station.

"I only have fur where there's a hole. It's a little itchy though," Beca replied, watching Aubrey. What was up with her?

Aubrey looked down at the hand latched on her forearm. She reluctantly turned back around and said thanks. She left, but not before shooting Chloe a look only the two best friends could understand. "I'll be right back," Chloe muttered before following Aubrey outside. "What was that all about?" she interrogated once they were alone.

"I'm getting really sick of this."

"Sick of what?"

"You know what."

Chloe threw her hands up, "I've got nothing. Explain to me what's bothering you so badly to make you act like this."

"What are you wearing? I mean, really Chloe?"

"I'm Little Red Riding Hood..." Chloe waved her cape around a little.

"Not just this. You've been dressing down a lot lately. You kind of look like a slut."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me!" Aubrey raised her voice.

"What's wrong with you? What happened last weekend? You've been a bitch since I spent the night at Beca's dorm. Who was with you?" Aubrey furrowed her brow, holding back tears. Chloe moved closer and placed her hand on her friend's shoulder. "It's okay." Aubrey let a single tear fall before she wrapped her hands around Chloe, resting her chin on her shoulder. She sobbed quietly into her friend's ear, spilling her secrets.

"...and I just felt abandoned. And you've been hanging out with Beca so much lately...it's just hard..."

"I know, and I'm sorry," Chloe stroked the blonde hair lying in her face. "Everything will be okay," she continued to coo. She pulled away from Aubrey so she could look into her watering eyes. "You're my roommate and my best friend. I will _always_ be here for you. Remember that."

"Like you'll always be there for Beca?" Aubrey sniffed.

"Of course. I don't abandon those who need me." Chloe pulled the blonde back in for a long, tight hug.

"She really means a lot to you, doesn't she?" Aubrey whispered in the redhead's ear.

Chloe bit her lip in hesitation. She hadn't told Aubrey about her feelings toward the small freshman, but she had figured them out on her own anyways. Aubrey was smart like that. "Yes."

* * *

Beca asked, "Is Tom coming tonight?"

"Who?" Chloe had to think for a moment. "Oh, right. No, I haven't talked to him since initiation night. He has a girlfriend now."

"Oh. What about Luke?"

"You think Luke and I are together?" Chloe burst out laughing. "God no. We're just friends. We have the same major, so we are together a lot, working on projects and stuff, and the radio show."

"What major is that exactly?"

"Business. I actually don't know what I want to do once I graduate...I really need to focus on that."

"I could see you selling a bunch of shit to people easily. You could sell literal shit to people and they'd think it was made of gold. You can make a very convincing argument out of nothing." Beca bit her lip to stop herself from talking, realizing the first thing Chloe would think of was their shower incident. Chloe had convinced her to audition for the Bellas just by singing with her naked.

"Thanks." Chloe blushed just a bit. She rarely talked about her major, and she was glad to discover she had someone who believed she would excel in it. "Do you want anything to drink?" Chloe asked Beca, who was sitting next to her one of the multiple couches throughout the house.

"Nah, I don't drink."

"Don't drink? You're in college now, let loose a bit," Chloe chuckled. Her smile faded as she saw Beca's expression harden. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. It's just..."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"It's just I spent my whole life watching my dad get drunk off his ass and scream at my mother. He got drunk all the time, and it tore their relationship to bits. And then marvelous Shelia came along and just aided the process. He would come home drunk some nights with the awful stench of her cheap perfume radiating off his clothes. It was disgusting. I can barely stand being near Shelia because she never changed her fucking perfume. It's still that terrible stench that gets trapped in my nose," Beca explained, looking down at her hands while she talked. "Sometimes, just the smell of alcohol brings up those memories."

"Oh god, Beca..." Chloe sat her cup down on the table in front of her, "I had no idea."

"I don't usually talk about that stuff. You're the first person I've told that to, actually."

Chloe rested an assuring hand on Beca's knee, "I'm flattered you told me."

Beca stared at the hand and started to feel a little warm in the face. Beca looked up at Chloe whose eyes were sparkling, "So can we leave now?" The pair stood up and headed for the front door.

"Hey baby. Why don't you stick around? I wanna make you howl at the moon," the frat boy followed by loud howl which earned him lots of laughs from people scattered around the room.

"Back off," Chloe warned, pushing to get by him.

"Does Little Red Riding Hood not want to share her Big Bad Wolf? Don't worry about me, I can handle _both of you_." Beca clenched her jaw as the boy laughed. He set his hand down on Chloe's shoulder, and she quickly threw it off. He tried again, but this time he was interrupted by Beca's fist. He stumbled backwards and hit the wall.

"Beca!" Chloe yelled, grabbing her friend and pulling her outside. "Oh my god! Are you okay!?"

Huffing, Beca cupped her hand in the other and held it close to her body. "Yeah. It just hur- ow!"

"Let me see." Beca held it out and Chloe quickly took the hand in her own, checking to make sure nothing was broken. "It's fine, but it'll hurt like a bitch for a few days." She cradled the hurt hand. "You didn't have to hit that asshole."

"Of course I did! He was touching you without your permission." Beca stared down at her hand, avoiding all eye contact because she was once again red in the cheeks. Seeing that guy touch Chloe caused something powerful to brew inside Beca. She hadn't felt that protective of anyone since...well, _ever_. It was a weird feeling, jealousy mixed with the need to protect, and it scared Beca. She hadn't realized she had grown so close to this girl, the stranger she sang with in a shower. And she realized right then that then was when it all started. That ambush started her fascination with the redhead. What kind of person would do something so ballsy? That question had sparked her whole relationship with this girl who now gave her butterflies just by being present. She didn't expect a small friendship to escalate to something like this.

Beca ripped her hand out of Chloe's light grip and said, "I have to go."

"Why?"

Beca had to lie. She couldn't tell her '_I think I'm falling in love with you._' She wasn't ready to face the truth. "I forgot I left Kimmy Jin's TV on. If she finds out I never turned it off, she'll kill me. I'm sorry, but I _really_ got to go." The freshman moved away from Chloe before she was able to stop her. "Besides, I think someone wants to talk to you," she pointed to a pair of furry ears moving quickly through a crowd towards Chloe. "I'll see you later." Beca turned and quickly walked out of sight.

"Chloe, what happened? I heard Beca kicked a guy in the nuts?" Aubrey questioned.

"What? Wow, news changes so fast. She punched one of the stupid frat guys in the face because he was hitting on us."

"Well that's lame," Amy said. Chloe looked at her. "I mean, yay go Beca!" she thrust her fist in the air.

"Where is Beca?"

"She went home. I don't really want to be here either."

"Let's go home then. I'll make you some hot chocolate," Aubrey wrapped her arm around Chloe and started towards their apartment.

"Hot chocolate! Can I join perhaps?" Fat Amy asked, flashing a toothy smile.

Chloe smiled and nodded, "Yeah, hot chocolate for all of us."

"That so beats Trick-Or-Treating traditions back in Tasmania!"


	8. Chapter 8

_"I'm not gay. I'm not gay,"_ Beca Mitchell repeated to herself again and again while pacing around her cramped dorm. She practically tore off her werewolf costume and threw it across the room. The brunette angrily stepped into her pajamas. She stopped pacing and blew some hair out of her face with her hands placed on her hips. "No, this isn't right." She continued her pacing. "This isn't how college is supposed to go. Beca, you promised yourself. Get through it with no attachments and get to LA." She bit her lip. No matter how hard she tried to get Chloe out of her mind, her efforts always ended in failure. She needed a distraction.

"Hey Stacie."

"Beca! Hi! What's up?" a very drunk Stacie yelled through the phone.

"I was, um, wondering if you knew of any parties happening tomorrow?"

"Oh, yeah, definitely. I'm invited to parties every night. Why?"

"I was wondering if I could tag along?"

"Sure! Aren't you still here at the Halloween party? I'm over by the music! You should come over here!"

"Stacie, I left literally an hour ago."

"Oh. I'll come by your dorm tomorrow to drive you to the party, okay?"

"Thanks."

"I always need someone to hold my hair back, so thank you," Stacie slurred. Beca rolled her eyes and ended the call. Parties definitely weren't her thing, but if they could take her mind off the redhead, she'd go.

"I shouldn't be under this much stress," Beca whispered to herself, falling onto her bed.

* * *

Fat Amy and the trio's hot chocolates were long gone by the time Chloe finally climbed into bed. The girl took out her iPod from her nightstand and put in her earbuds. She scrolled through her songs, but her finger lingered over a very specific track. She glanced over towards the door to make sure it was shut. She parted her legs and let her hand find its way to her underwear. She closed her eyes, getting lost in the music, and let her hand do its job, except this time, she imagined it was Beca's fingers instead of her own. She could almost feel the phantom kisses along her collarbone. She was close...so close, but was interrupted by a knock on the door followed by a "Chloe?"

Shit.

Chloe grabbed her blanket and pulled it up to her chin. She ripped out her earbuds as Aubrey walked through the doorway. "Hey," the blonde said with a soft voice.

"Hi."

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for saying you've been slutty recently. You really haven't been. I'm just under a lot of stress," Aubrey explained, running her fingers through her hair. "The Bellas don't seem to listen to me, you know? They don't seem to respect me much." She rubbed her hand up and down her arm, looking to Chloe for some sort of recognition that the conversation was actually going on. Chloe fidgeted under the blankets; she just wanted Aubrey to leave so she could finish herself off. Aubrey realized this and her eyes got wide. "Oh, God, Chloe. Oh my god! Were you...before I...?" Chloe nodded. Aubrey hands rushed up to rest on her temples, "I'm sorry. We'll talk tomorrow." She turned and left, shutting the door behind her. "Gross," she murmured once she was sure she was out of earshot.

* * *

"What are these?" Chloe picked up one of the many flashdrives from a small basket on Luke's desk.

"Beca's flashdrives. She keeps giving them to me."

"Have you listened to her stuff at all? It's fantastic."

"Not yet. I've been busy; things to do, people to see."

"More like people to fuck." Luke smirked at her. "Anyways, you should really listen to her stuff. Maybe even put the ones you like on the radio."

"If you say it's good enough to check out, I'll listen."

"Thanks, Luke," Chloe smiled brightly. He gave her a weird look.

"Beca should be the one to thank me, not you." Chloe rolled her eyes.

"She can't thank you until her stuff is on the radio. Duh!"

* * *

"I'm really surprised you asked me to go party with you, Beca."

"It's more like me partying with you. I just need to let loose," Beca smiled over at her fellow Bella who was driving her to yet another frat house. "I might even drink...if it helps," she mumbled just loudly enough for herself to hear.

"Whatever, Lilly. Anyways, what's got you so stressed? You're always so laid back. It's weird to see you like this." Beca looked a little confused. "I can tell by your body language there's something bothering you, and it has been for a while. So spill." Beca looked down at herself. She was tense; her hands here folded over each other, her back was straight, her legs were crossed. _Oh god, I look just like Aubrey_.

"My dad's been getting on my back about grades and shit like that. He doesn't understand what 'resentment' means," she lied.

"Why do you resent your father?" Stacie glanced over for a second before looking back at the road.

"I'd rather not talk about it."

"That's fine. I'm cool with that." She parked the car. "We're here."

"Here?" they were at the same frat house from the night before.

"Yeah. Why?"

"It's just, last night I sacked one of these douchebags for being an idiotic air-head."

"If anyone gives you a hard time, I'll take care of them for ya." The pair exited the car and entered the all too familiar house. "So what did you dress up as yesterday? I was a sexy mouse."

Beca laughed, "I totally get that."

"Get what?"

"You and Aubrey were fighting like a cat and a mouse because you were fighting over the cat costume idea."

"What?" Stacie looked genuinely confused, which caused Beca to laugh even more. "Oooh! Look at that _man_! I'll see you later, Beca."

"Wait, what?" Beca cried out, but Stacie was already gone. She groaned and grabbed a drink. She was going to be needing a lot more if she was going to be alone all night.

An hour and a few drinks later, Beca grew tired of the music blasting through the house. She searched around and found the laptop hooked up to the speaker system. She took out a flashdrive from her pocket and put it in, hitting play. After the third song, Beca realized this wasn't the normal flashdrive of mixes she took with her everywhere, it was a whole flashdrive full of her "Titanium" mash-ups. She ripped it out of the computer and shoved it in her pocket before thoughts of Chloe arose. "That was your music? It was pretty rad." Beca whirled around to find a boy with the classic attractive hipster look about him. He had scruff on his face and dark brown eyes. His brown hair was spiked with gel and he seemed like he was trying to grow sideburns. He was nothing like Chloe. He smirked at the small girl, seeing she had the classic badass music chick thing about her. He nodded towards the couch. "Wanna sit down?" She followed him over and plopped down, amazed someone noticed her. "I'm Bradley. And you are?"

"Beca."

"Beca. That's nice. You mix music?"

"Yeah."

"Cool," he grinned, purposely drawing attention to his lip ring before he took a sip of beer. He looked around the room for a second before bluntly asking, "Wanna make out, Beca?"

She almost spit out the tiny bit of beer in her mouth. "What?"

"That's not a no." He swooped in before Beca could even think, smashing his lips against her. He tried to soften the kiss a bit. Beca gave into her surprisingly strong sexual frustration and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. He ran his tongue over her bottom lip, and she opened her mouth, letting him in. The warm sensation of alcohol on his tongue made Beca cringe, but she was just tipsy enough to not care. The kiss continued for another minute before their bodies were smashed against one another. He left her lips and planted warm kisses on her jawline, headed south down her neck. Beca's eyes snapped open when his hands reached up to pull down her shirt to reveal her collarbone. This was wrong. It was all wrong. The house. The party. The beer. The music. The boy.

Beca jumped up, "I'm sorry. I gotta go." She adjusted her shirt as she ran out.

"Beca! Beca! Wait!" Stacie ran out after her. "What's the deal with you and parties? You always run away when it just starts to get fun."

"I need to leave."

"Just like you needed to leave at aca-initiation night?"

"Not exactly. Alcohol makes me uncomfortable."

"There wasn't alcohol at initiation."

"What?" Beca searched Stacie's face for the truth.

"Well, there _was_, but Aubrey restricted us to one beer since we had our first practice the next day. She's such a bitch sometimes. Only she was allowed to get drunk off her ass."

"So The Bellas weren't drunk?"

"Sadly no."

"I need to go."

"Come back to the party. I know that Bradley kid. He's nice."

"Stacie," Beca shook her head, backpedaling towards campus, "I can't." She turned and ran towards the student apartments. She remembered Chloe had mentioned her room number once in a conversation because some new kid thought that it was their room and had walked in the first day, claiming one of the bedrooms for himself.

Beca stood outside the door numbered 37. She took a deep breath and knocked. Chloe opened the door a minute later. "Hey! What a nice surprise."

"Hi. I need to talk to you."

"Come in and sit down."

"No time. I need to say this _now_." Chloe nodded with a concerned look on her face. She leaned against the side of the door-frame. "First off, I'm sorry for running off on aca-initiation night. I thought you were drunk and I hate dancing."

"That's okay; it wasn't a big deal."

"Yes, yes it was."

"Oh?"

"I don't really know how to say this, but- _oh my god!" _A very naked Benji came into view in the background, which was the kitchen, to get some coffee. Chloe turned around to see what Beca was so freaked out about.

"**Benji!**" He whirled around with wide eyes.

"Oh God!" He grabbed the towel sitting on the counter and covered himself up before running back to where he came from.

Chloe muttered, "I'm going to have to throw that away once he leaves."

"I'm sorry. I'll go," Beca said turning away. Chloe grabbed her arm.

"He's not here for me." Beca raised an eyebrow.

"Aubrey? But isn't he a Treble?"

"No. He _wants_ to be a Treble, but Bumper didn't let him in. I don't see why; he has a lovely voice. Anyways, what were you saying?"

"Okay, what I was going to say was- Benji, what the Hell?!"

"Sorry, forgot my coffee!" He grabbed the mug and headed back to Aubrey's bedroom.

"Jesus Christ...okay, let's see if I can finally get this out." She took a deep breath. "I...I went to a party today and made out with a stranger..."

Chloe quirked and eyebrow. "Okay..."

"...and I couldn't get into it, even after I drank a bit."

"You drank? I thought you didn't drink?"

"I have a lot on my mind. Okay, so, I ran away from him and realized the reason I couldn't get into it because I'm into someone else. They've been in front of me for so long, I didn't know what kind of feelings I was developing. I thought it was just the same old infatuation you get when you get a new best friend, but I was wrong. You see,-"

Aubrey screamed from the other room, "**JUST KISS ALREADY!**"

Beca turned a shade of red and said, "Aubrey's pretty damn smart," but never got to finish because Chloe had grabbed her and softly placed her lips on Beca's.

She pulled away a few seconds later. "I have feelings for you too, Beca," she laughed lightly. Beca looked into her big, blue eyes and couldn't take it any longer. She closed the small distance between her and Chloe and kissed her again, this time with more passion. Neither girl wanted to pull away. The kiss felt so natural, like it was the simplest and easiest thing in the world. Their movements were so in sync. It was like magic. Their lips parted again to allow them to catch their breath, but it wasn't long before Beca was on Chloe's neck, sucking and nibbling on her skin. She hadn't realized she needed Chloe so badly. "I need to go to bed," Chloe whispered in the smaller girl's ear.

"Can I come?" Chloe laughed, not used to Beca's new-found confidence.

"Not tonight. I have an exam tomorrow," she took Beca's face in her hands and placed one last passionate kiss on the girl. "Good night." Chloe smiled and shut the door slowly, taking in every inch of Beca she could.

Beca stared at the number 37 for over five minutes with her fingertips on her lips. The kiss was like electricity. After all this time, she had given in to her secret desires, and that was definitely the best decision she had ever made.


	9. Chapter 9

The next two months flew by. Chloe had informed everyone of her health condition, Beca's mixes were being played on the radio, Aubrey's secret relationship was going well, as was Beca's and Chloe's, and the Bellas were finally meshing.

Aubrey and Beca's relationship had seemed to improve outside of rehearsals. But during rehearsals was a totally different subject. Aubrey was still not listening to Beca's ideas and was completely ignoring her opinions. Chloe had tried to get Aubrey to listen on multiple occasions, but she refused, claiming the set-list would get them to nationals and that's all that mattered. Even when Chloe realized she couldn't hit the high note in "Turn The Beat Around" any longer without being in extreme pain and had offered Beca to take her spot, Aubrey refused to let her solo; Beca wanted to change the song. Aubrey was being too strict with what songs and dances they did. Chloe knew their current set-list would get them _to_ nationals, but not _win_ them nationals. She decided to argue with Aubrey about that at a later time.

It was Christmas Eve. The snow laid thick on the roofs of the apartments lining the streets of New York City. Beca was staying with her mom for the break. Chloe had went west to stay with her family. The couple had started dating a few days after they first kissed, but they agreed to keep their relationship a secret for the time being. Aubrey was the only Bella who knew the truth. The couple tried their best to keep their hands to themselves during Bellas rehearsals, only allowing a lingering touch here or a brush of the hand there. Somehow it worked, but Chloe was getting a little antsy about spilling their secret. She didn't like to lie, but she didn't want to break her promise to her girlfriend. Beca, on the other hand, felt completely comfortable lying.

"Beca? You're zoning out again."

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I just missed your face."

"You're looking at it right now," Chloe giggled.

"And I've never been more thankful for technology," Beca smiled into the computer screen. Their Skype call had started two hours ago, and they had spent half the time just entranced by the other's face.

"I miss you," Chloe pouted.

"I miss you too."

"No, I _really_ miss you."

"Oh," Beca gulped as she watched Chloe start to rub herself. She couldn't see anything, but she could hear her moans. After a minute, Chloe stood up, turned her back to the camera, and began to strip.

"Hey, Becs, when do you want to-" Beca's mother said, walking into her daughter's bedroom. She stopped talking as she saw the half naked woman on the screen. Beca slammed down the laptop and whirled around to face her mother. "What was that?"

"Just some video."

"Just some video? It's okay to watch stuff like that." Her mother took a seat on Beca's bed and started a long speech about something to do with porn. Beca wasn't listening; her earbuds were still in, and Chloe hadn't stopped her actions. The brunette could hear her girlfriend's moans. She even heard her name a few times. After some time, Beca's mother was still going on about whatever she was saying, and Chloe was reaching her climax. She screamed out Beca's name then went silent.

"Beca? Are you there?" the redhead whispered into her laptop, putting on her headphones.

"Mom," Beca interrupted the long speech, "could you please get out of my room so I can spend the first five fucking minutes of Christmas with my girlfriend? I'll make cookies with you after, okay?" Her mother just looked at her with a shocked expression before making her exit. "I'm here," Beca replied, opening her laptop to find Chloe's shining face once again.

"I thought you didn't want to tell your mom about us?"

"I didn't, but I was frustrated that she had walked in at that particular moment and wouldn't leave."

"So you heard everything?"

"Definitely." Chloe smiled.

"It's okay that your mom knows, because I may have possibly told my parents too..." Her smile didn't fade. "They want to meet you over Spring Break, if that's okay."

"Yeah, that's fine. Beats staying in my dorm all break long." Beca took a peek at the time in the bottom right corner of the screen. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas! I still have three hours until it's Christmas here. Do you have my present?"

"Right here," Beca held a box wrapped in blue paper with a big gold bow up to the camera. "And you have mine?" Chloe reacted by copying Beca. The wrapping paper on her box was pink with a white ribbon.

"I want to wait until it's Christmas for both of us."

"I want it now."

"Patience, my dear. Patience," Chloe laughed. "You know, Beca, it doesn't feel right to keep us a secret from the Bellas. They're like family to me, and it just feels wrong to not have them know. Plus, I'd like to be able to touch my girlfriend whenever I want."

Beca nodded in agreement, "Yes, I would like to have you touch me whenever." She laughed at her own joke. "I agree with you. It does feel odd to keep this a secret from them. We'll tell them on the way home after we win Regionals. How does that sound?"

"Very good. Sorry to disappoint you, but you should probably go make cookies with your mom now. I'll be here when you get back, just send me a call."

"Alright," Beca scowled.

"Oh, shush. The sooner you get up, the sooner we'll be back here." Beca rolled her eyes and ended the Skype call. She got up and dreadfully staggered to the kitchen to find her mom already scooping out dough from a bowl.

"You started without me?"

"I figured you'd be too busy."

"Too busy? This is tradition. Even I keep traditions," Beca said, taking her place at her mother's side. The older woman smiled down at her. "Chloe told me to come out here anyways," her eyes grew wide as she realized she just told her mom her girlfriend's name.

"Chloe, huh? That's a nice name."

"It is."

"Does your father know about you two?"

"No. I try to keep my distance from him."

Beca's mother gave her daughter a disapproving look. She didn't like that Beca wouldn't try to rekindle her relationship with her father. They used to have so much fun together. She cleared her throat before continuing on about Chloe. "Tell me about her. What's she like?"

"She's tall, a redhead, smart, funny, really sweet, and a senior. She's the co-captain of the a capella group I'm in at school," Beca bit her bottom lip; she hadn't told her mom about the Bellas yet.

"A capella? I didn't know you were into singing like that."

Beca thought for a minute before replying, "I'm not, but I really like it, actually. There's this competition called a Riff-Off where all the a capella groups battle. It's really fun."

"I imagine so. Okay, back to Chloe. Have you two...fondued?"

"Mom!"

"What? I'm just curious. Can't I ask my daughter a serious question for once?"

"Never."

"Well, does she at least treat you well?"

Beca grinned, "Yeah, she does."

"And you treat her well?"

"Yeah, Mom, I'm not like Dad. Don't worry."

"Honey, that's not what I meant. Your father, he- he wasn't happy. I think he was unhappy for a long time before we started fighting. I know you think he walked out on us, but it was better for him to leave than stay. Just imagine your life now, and how different it would be if you didn't go to Barden. I know you didn't want to go, but it was the best option you had. I couldn't afford to send you off to LA alone, much less college. I was so worried I wouldn't be able to take care of you. When your father got the job offer at Barden University, I considered it a blessing. He was gone, and had a good job, and you'd have someplace to go after high school. College wasn't your first choice, but aren't you glad you're going there now?"

Beca thought about it: what if she never had gone to Barden? She wouldn't know Aubrey, or Stacie, or Cynthia Rose, or Jessica, or Benji, who turned out to be a really nice guy, or Chloe. Chloe. She was the most important out of them all. Just under two months of being together out of a mere four/five months of knowing each other, Beca couldn't imagine life without her girlfriend, her best friend. She was the one Beca could let her walls down around. The one who she cuddled with at night. The one she woke up to. The one she sang the loudest with. The one she got butterflies around. The one she could talk to for hours upon hours about nothing at all. The one she loves. Yeah, Beca was in love. She had been for a long time now, but it took just one sentence said by her mother to finally discover it. One simple sentence.

Beca got on her tip-toes and kissed her mother on the cheek. "Thank you." She left the kitchen in a hurry and planted herself in front of her warm laptop once again. She sent a call request to Chloe, who was still online. Moments later, the redhead's face popped up on the screen. "Open your present."

"It's not Christmas yet, Beca."

"Please? I want you to open it."

"It's only fair if you open yours first." Beca smiled as she grabbed the box and started to tear the paper off. "It's nothing much, but I think you'll like it." And like it she did. Beca found two picture frames inside the box; one with a photo of the Bellas all together and one with her favorite picture of Chloe. "I know you really love that picture of me, no matter how terrible I look in it, so I framed it for you."

"You can't ever look terrible." Beca remembered when she took the photograph really early one morning. Chloe had stayed over, and was refusing to get up. Her make-up was completely off, showing off her natural beauty, and her hair was a mess. Beca had a new camera and was determined to use it. She climbed onto the bed and straddled herself over Chloe, who turned to look up at her. She laughed when she realized what Beca was doing, and Beca snapped just one picture. That was all she needed. With sleepy eyes and simple smile showing her teeth, Beca had captured what she loved most about the girl: everything.

"You're going to make me blush. So do you like it?"

"I love it! Now, open yours!" Chloe unwrapped her box easily and opened it.

She gasped, "Beca. These are your favorite; I can't accept them." She slowly reached into the box and pulled out a pair of black headphones. To most people, they just look like headphones, but Chloe knew better. These were the headphones Beca used 24/7. If they weren't in their case, they were on Beca's ears or around her neck.

"I want you to have them."

"I can't. They're like a piece of you."

"Exactly," Beca smiled. "I'm giving myself to you through those headphones. They mean so much to me. I mean, I made my first mix using those babies. I want you to use them. Just don't listen to Justin Beiber with them. Please don't put them through that torture," she laughed. She wanted to say the real reason she wanted Chloe to have her prized possession was because she was in love with her, but she bit her tongue. Letting two secrets slip was enough for one day. Chloe carefully put the headphones around her neck. "They look perfect on you."

"Thank you so much, Beca. I really just want to hug you right now. I feel so bad; my gift looks so stupid compared to yours!"

"No no! I love your gift! Now I can show you off to my many other girlfriends when they come over."

"And don't forget to show them the lovely group of ladies in the other frame."

"Oh, yes, I won't forget."

The pair talked for another hour or so until Beca became a little tired. She was in need of entertaining.

"Could you remind me one more time of how much you miss me?"


	10. Chapter 10

"Dude, why do we all have to ride the bus? Regionals are like forty-five minutes away."

"Because, Beca, riding together is tradition and-"

"We don't break tradition. Blah blah blah," Beca rolled her eyes and moved to the back of the small bus. Chloe joined her a few minutes later. "This is stupid."

"What? You don't like riding in a bus full of girls?" Chloe smirked. Beca hit her with her elbow, then offered one of her earbuds with her favorite mixes blasting out of it. Chloe gladly took it and placed it in her ear. Once the bus was in motion and everyone was preoccupied with their own activities, Chloe rested her head on Beca's shoulder and closed her eyes.

Beca slowly grabbed Chloe's bag and went through it to get her iPod. She plugged her earbuds into her girlfriend's iPod and quickly went through the list of songs, looking for a specific one. Chloe lifted her head, now awake, and asked what she was doing. Beca turned a shade of red before she even hit play. "Don't laugh, okay?" Chloe nodded sleepily. Chloe laughed as she heard Beca's voice boom over the music on the track.

_Oh Chloe, you're so fine_  
_You're so fine you blow my mind_  
_Hey Chloe, Hey Chloe_  
_Oh Chloe, you're so fine-_

_-And you're mine  
I'll be yours till the end of time  
'Cause you make me feel  
Yeah, you make me feel  
So shiny and new  
Like a virgin  
Touched for the very first time  
Like-_

_-The one in me_  
_That's O.K._  
_Let's see how you do it_  
_Put up your dukes_  
_Let's get down to it_

_Hit me with your best shot_  
_Why don't you hit me with your best shot_  
_Hit me with your best shot _  
_Fire away_

Beca was staring down at the floor, embarrassed to no end. During the instrumental part she threw in between categories, she explained, "I found a video of the riff-off online and thought it'd be fun to record it..." Chloe set her hand on Beca's thigh, causing Beca to look over at her smiling girlfriend. Before Chloe could say anything, the next singing part had started.

_Na na na_  
_Come on_  
_Na na na na na_  
_Come on, come on, come on_

_'Cause I may be bad_  
_But I'm perfectly good at it_  
_Sex in the air_  
_I don't care, I love the smell of it_  
_Sticks and stones may break my bones_  
_But chains and whips excite me_

_(Not really but those are the lyrics)_

_'Cause I may be bad_  
_But I'm perfectly good at it_  
_Sex-_

_-Chloe_  
_Let's talk about you and me_  
_Let's talk about all the good things_  
_And there are no bad things that may be_  
_Let's talk about sex_  
_Alright_  
_Let's talk about sex_  
_In private, in private_  
_Let's talk about sex, Chloe-_

_-All through the night_  
_I'll make love to you_  
_Like you want me to_  
_And I-_

_-guess that's just the woman in you_  
_That brings out the woman in me_  
_I know I can't help myself_  
_You're all in the world to me_

_It feels like the first time (maybe that's because it is)_  
_It feels like the very first time (it wasn't but you know what I mean)_  
_It feels like the first time_  
_It-_

_-It's..._

The song finished with Beca's rap of "No Diggity" that Chloe had been dying to hear once again. Chloe leaned in and kissed Beca on the cheek, taking out Beca's earbud and whispering, "It's perfect." She rested her head once again on the small brunette's shoulder and sighed softly. "You still look really good in that uniform." Beca felt Chloe's hand move up her thigh and toy with her shorter-than-she-wanted skirt.

"Chloe, we're in public," Beca hissed through her teeth.

"We're telling them on the way home anyways. It's no big deal." Beca put her hand on Chloe's, stopping her migration north. Chloe pouted.

"When we get back to campus."

"Fine," Chloe snorted. She nuzzled closer to Beca before dosing off again.

* * *

"Second place isn't bad," Stacie said.

"I can't believe the boys won first place _again_."

Lilly mumbled under her breath, "If we kill them, they can't win."

"Okay, ladies, back on the bus!" Aubrey ordered. The group walked out into the lobby to find The Tonehangers and The Treblemakers brawling.

"The Kraken had been unleashed." Amy ran down the stairs and punched a guy in the face who was bothering Donald, the main rapper for the Trebles.

"Someone stop her!" Denise called out. Beca looked around, but nobody showed any indication of going to help Amy, so she descended the stairs and hurried over to Fat Amy who was wielding a trophy.

"Hit me, Amy! Hit me!" the pervy Tonehanger begged. Beca grabbed the trophy and tried to pry it from Amy's hands.

"I wanna shove it up his butt!"

"Give me the trophy, Amy!" Beca yelled, standing on her tip toes, struggling to keep a hold of the object. Amy attempted to jerk it out of Beca's hands, and it snapped into pieces. The biggest piece flew through the window and, conveniently, there was a cop right outside who saw a chuck of the trophy in Beca's small hands. "Shit."

* * *

"Everyone, get on the bus. We're going back to campus."

"Back to campus? Beca's at the police station here! We can't just leave her!" Chloe yelled, frustrated that Beca had been taken into custody when she did nothing wrong. "I'm staying."

"We'll go back, and you can get your car, then drive back over here to bail her out. I don't want to leave her just as much as you, but we have to return the bus before midnight," Aubrey said calmly. Chloe crossed her arms, but nodded at the logic.

Two hours later, she arrived at the police station to find Beca sitting in the lobby. "Hey Million Dollar Baby."

"If I knew what you were referencing, I'd probably laugh at that. Anyways, I was just about to call you. They pardoned me since I didn't do anything."

"Thank god." Chloe wrapped her arms around Beca and held her tight. Beca pushed back the desire to make a snarky comment about not being able to breathe. She just enjoyed the moment. "Let's go home."

"Sounds perfect." The couple walked out to Chloe's car hand-in-hand. "Wait. We never told the girls about us."

"We'll tell them when we get back. Aubrey said she'll have them wait up in your dorm. You know, to make sure prison hasn't changed you too much," Chloe winked.

* * *

"Hey! What up, Shawshank?!"

"Did you get yourself a bitch?"

"Did they spray you with a hose?"

"Were you someone's bitch?"

"I did a turn at county."

Beca was bombarded with questions when her and Chloe entered her room. Kimmy Jin gave her a dirty look and walked out. "Isn't she just a bundle of sunshine?" Amy asked, making everyone laugh.

"I can't believe you guys really waited up for me." She looked over at Chloe who gave her a slight nod. Now was the time. Beca opened her mouth to speak, but Aubrey cut her off.

"Yes, now sit down. I'm calling an emergency Bellas meeting. According to the scorecard-"

"How'd you get the scorecard?" Ashley asked.

"A friend." Chloe nudged Beca with a knowing look. "Anyways, The Sockapellas almost beat us. We need to step it up. And Amy, no surprises next time okay?" Amy nodded. She had lost herself in the heat of the moment and sang well, but didn't follow the choreography like she was taught.

"Wait, Aubrey, we're keeping the same set-list?"

"Yes. If we perform as we have practiced, we can win."

"If we change it up, we'll have a better chance of beating the Trebles."

"Yeah, The Trebles never sing the same song twice. All we do is sing the same songs," Cynthia Rose spoke up.

"Exactly. We could change the face of a capella if we just...Oh my god. Why haven't I thought of this before?" Beca walked over to her laptop and opened her folder of mixes. "If we blend tracks together from different genres and times, we can make something nothing has ever-"

"Our set-list is perfectly fine."

"This stuff is pretty cool, Aubrey. Just listen to-"

"Practice tomorrow. 8 am sharp." Aubrey nodded to the girls and turned to leave.

"Will there be cardio?" Amy asked. She got a glare in return.

The rest of the girls followed Aubrey out and went home. Chloe shut the door behind them and walked back over to Beca who was now looking out the window. Chloe wrapped her arms around her waist. "Hey. Don't worry about her; she'll come around."

Beca sighed and rested her hands on Chloe's. "I hope so."


	11. Chapter 11

"You and I both know using the same song list can only get us so far," Chloe spoke up from the couch. Aubrey was folding laundry on the chair adjacent from her. "Whether you want to acknowledge Beca's ideas or not, you know we'll have to come up with something new for Nationals."

"No, these songs will be just fine," Aubrey replied bluntly.

"If you would just hear me out and listen to one song Beca made, you can see how aca-amazing we can be."

Aubrey set a pile of folded clothes in the laundry basket resting at her feet. "I can't do that."

"And why not?" Chloe asked defensively. She was getting sick and tired of the way Aubrey was treating her. They were best friends and supposedly equals, but she wasn't being treated as such. "Why won't you consider my opinions? I'm co-captain. I have some say in how we run the Bellas."

"Alice put me in charge. I chose to have you be at my side. I could run them alone if I so choose."

"Aubrey, you _are_ running them alone! You won't let me have a say in anything! You interrupt me when I try to speak! You're being over controlling! Alice only put you in charge because she had a crush on you, and you know that. Once you found out about how she felt, your attitude changed at practice. You used to hate the way she bossed us around. Now look at you, you're just a blonde Alice."

Aubrey gasped at the sudden betrayal. "I did not use Alice!"

"You totally did!" Chloe took a deep breath. "It pains me to say it, but you're turning into your father. You even quote him all the time. I know how much you hate what he's become…and what he's molding you into. Fight it, Aubrey. Break the mold while you still can." Chloe was now sitting on the arm of Aubrey's chair, looking down at her, making sure she understood the reasoning behind her words. Her best friend's father was a military man who strives for perfection, even if he has to reach it by unnecessary means.

Chloe had hated him ever since the first time she saw him hit Aubrey. They were children, and Aubrey had taken a roll from a plate on the counter without asking permission. Her father saw and whacked her in the side, without any warning, sending her crashing to the ground in tears. That just fueled his anger. Crying was one thing he did not allow; it showed weakness. A Posen should never show weakness. Chloe watched with wide eyes, being too young to know what to do and being too shocked to run, as he bent the small blonde over his knee. He was abusive, and Chloe was thankful that Aubrey was kinder than he was in that aspect. She had promised to never hit anyone, unless she was defending herself, at a young age. Aubrey was too much like her mother, in her father's eyes. She was too kind, too soft, too caring. He had tried to roughen her up, change her, mold her. It was taking its toll.

"I don't want to be like my father…" escaped Aubrey's tight lips. She looked up at Chloe with tears stinging the corners of her eyes. Chloe moved down and sat on Aubrey's lap, wrapping her arms around the now crying woman, pulling her into a warm hug. She rubbed the blonde's back as she sobbed into Chloe's chest.

"It'll be okay, Aubrey. I'll help you. We'll take small steps, okay? Small changes. I'm sorry I said what I did, but it was the only way to get you to see what I see."

"I love you," Aubrey wailed through her sobs.

"I love you too." Chloe held her best friend for the next hour.

The next morning, Aubrey woke up to find a note paired with a flashdrive by her bed. The note read: _Baby steps. _She growled, but shoved the stick in her backpack before she left for class.

* * *

"Where's Beca?" Chloe questioned the group. The girl was absent, which was unlike her. She never skipped a practice, no matter how much she hated working out.

"She wasn't in Philosophy."

"Well, that isn't unusual."

"She was texting me earlier and mentioned that she didn't feel well," Fat Amy said. "Lucky bastard…" Aubrey shot Chloe a concerned glance, granting permission for Chloe to leave. She took the opportunity to sneak out after Aubrey started the girls with some cardio.

"Beca? You in there?" Chloe knocked on her dorm door. She could faintly hear the tv. Beca called out for her to come in, and she opened it to find the small girl curled up in a blanket on the couch surrounded by tissues with tears in her eyes. She covered her face when she felt Chloe's gaze on her. "Baby, are you crying?" Chloe walked over and sat down next to Beca, placing a concerned hand on what she imagined was the girl's leg.

"No, I just have something in my eye. Like a twig, or a branch." Chloe looked up at the paused television to find a boy in mid-sentence with subtitles on the screen.

Chloe laughed, "What are you watching?"

"I don't know how to pronounce it, but it was in the DVD player and I didn't feel like changing it."

"You don't like movies."

"I do when I feel ill or if it's something I watch with you," Beca said, uncovering her face and smiling. Chloe giggled and felt her girlfriend's forehead. It wasn't warmer than normal.

"Are you sure you're sick?" she teased.

"I think it's just allergies, but it's a valid excuse to skip practice."

"You're such a turd." Beca lifted the blanket and Chloe slid under, hugging Beca's waist and leaning into her. "So, what's this about anyhow?"

"The guy on the screen right now is in love with this girl, but she doesn't know because she's crushing on his best friend who's gay and is in love with the guy on the screen. It's the worst love triangle ever; nobody can win."

"And that makes you sad?"

"Maybe…" Chloe laughed at her, snuggling closer. "Don't laugh at me!" Beca kissed her forehead.

"Go ahead and hit play, I'll figure it out as it goes along." Beca obeyed and wrapped her around Chloe's back, pulling her in even closer, if at all possible. "Do you want some soup or anything?"

"Nah, Kimmy Jin got me some."

"Really? I'm surprised."

"Yeah, I was too," Beca laughed. "I think she just wants me to not contaminate the room."

"You can contaminate me whenever you like." Beca could feel her smirk.

"You're an idiot."

"But I'm your idiot!"

"Hey, Idiot, how come you aren't at practice?"

"Because you aren't." Beca turned away from Chloe's eyes and felt herself smile wider than she ever had. Chloe brought her hand up to brush Beca's cheek. She whispered, "You're missing the movie." Beca wiped the smile off her face the best she could and turned her head, finding Chloe's bright eyes. She caressed her girlfriend's hand on her cheek with her own free hand.

"How did I get so lucky?"

"Luck had nothing to do with it."


	12. Chapter 12

"There's no way we can beat the Footnotes _and_ the Trebles!" Beca peered around the curtain to find a twenty something year old at the lead of the group, singing his heart out. His voice was booming over the speakers, drowning out everyone's thoughts. The man caught Beca looking over at him, and he winked while he adjusted his bow tie with his free hand. "Beca, looks like you have a suitor. Maybe he wants to _court_ you. Take you out for _tea and crumpets_ with his_ blokes, _then come home and watch the _telly_ with you," Amy burst into laughter in Beca's ear.

"Why do you say that?" she shouted back.

"Look at him. Bow tie. Yuck."

"Hey! Bow ties are cool!" Stacie butted in.

"It's a British invasion!" Amy threw her hands up.

"You only say he's British because he's the only pale guy in the whole group," Beca rolled her eyes.

"They're all black except him. It only makes sense."

"Amy, that makes no sense..." Stacie commented.

"Ladies!" Aubrey motioned everyone over. "Aca-huddle!" Beca and the rest of the girls got in a misshapen huddle, with Chloe standing behind Beca, grabbing her hand. "We can do this as long as we stick to the choreography completely and we sing our asses off! No surprises this time."

The announcer dismissed The Footnotes, who walked by The Bellas. "Good luck, ladies," the main singer said with a wink. Amy was right; he was British.

"Put your hands together for the Barden Bellas!"

Aubrey took a deep breath, "On three."

"On three or after three?" Stacie asked for the fiftieth time.

"Screw it. Let's just do it."

The group smiled at the quiet crowd as they walked on stage and took their spots. Aubrey blew her pitch pipe and the song began. Beca looked around the room. The judges looked bored. The sound guy was playing on his phone. The audience slumped in their seats. She looked away and met eyes with the British boy who had a smug look on his face. He was dancing away to their song. Beca clenched up and swallowed hard. She needed to do something, and fast. They were definitely going to lose if she didn't at least try _something_.

"_This time, baby, I'll be bulletproof._"

She felt everyone glare at her. Even Chloe turned her head to look at her. They were just surprised, that's all. Yeah...they liked it...they were just surprised...right? Right?

The song changed and Aubrey gave her an evil glance out of the corner of her eye. Beca smiled back just to piss her off, but she stayed true to the set-list for the rest of their performance.

"What the Hell, Beca!?" Aubrey yelled as soon as they were backstage.

"What?"

"Were you _trying_ to screw us up?"

"Screw us up? I was saving our asses! I don't know if you haven't noticed, but everyone practically dozed off during our set."

"Newsflash! This isn't The Beca Show! You can't just decide what we do and when we do it. Why don't you ask the others what they thought of your little improvisation." Everyone's eyes left Beca. She searched the small crowd for anyone she could ask. Chloe was biting her bottom lip...she agreed with Aubrey, which was understandable. Beca knew her girlfriend would stick up for her, but she wouldn't be the bad guy. She couldn't throw her under the bus like that.

"Cynthia Rose?"

She looked a little shocked Beca picked her. "Umm...yeah, it was rad...but, it did take us by surprise. I'd be all for it if we had a warning first..."

Amy spoke up, "It was cool. But, yeah, a warning would have been nice."

Beca nodded. Aubrey had tears in her eyes. She thought Beca ruined them. She very well may have. Nobody knew at that point what the results were going to be. "I told you she wasn't a Bella!" Aubrey yelled, not looking over at Chloe. She continued, now talking to Beca, "Your attitude sucks, you are a grade A pain in my pass and-" she choked a little on her words as she continued, "-I want you to stop seeing Chloe...you're a bad influence on her." The rest of the Bellas started murmuring among themselves.

"I knew it! Lilly, you owe me fifty bucks!" Stacie exclaimed, covering her mouth right after the words escaped her. Lilly crossed her arms with an angry expression.

Chloe grabbed Aubrey's arm in protest. "She's not a bad influence on me! And her improvisation sounded fantastic! Beca makes us better!"

"Save it, Chlo. You don't have to pretend you're allowed to have a say in the group, right?" Everyone went completely silent. All eyes were on Chloe. She looked like Beca had just ran over a puppy. To say she was taken aback would be an understatement. She knew Beca could easily put up her walls and push people away, but she never imagined she could do it so swiftly, with just a snap of her fingers. Beca saw the pain in her eyes, but ignored it. Turning her attention to the blonde, she snapped, "I'm just glad you didn't vomit all over the audience _again_." Beca saw the anger flare in those emeralds. Pushing back a smirk, she threw her hands up in defeat. "If this is what I get for trying..." She turned and walked out, breaking into a run once she was out of sight.

"Aubrey, it actually went really well-"

"Chloe, stop!" Aubrey pushed passed the rest of the Bellas and headed back to the bus. Benji ran over, only catching the very end of the conversation, and asked what happened.

"Aubrey and Beca fought."

"And where's Beca?" he asked concerned. He and Chloe had gotten close since he was over at her apartment often. He knew the pair fought constantly. Plus, Chloe had told him all about Beca's walls.

"She ran off," the redhead replied, feeling tears well in her eyes.

Benji placed his clipboard under his armpit and put his hands on Chloe's shoulders, forcing her to look him in the eye. "You're facing a big challenge in your life right now, at this very moment, right here. That girl loves you. She really, really loves you. Aubrey will always be there for you, you know that. Listen, when life reaches out with a moment like this it's a sin if you don't reach back. Go and find her. She needs you right now. Tell her how much she means to you. You love this girl, right?" Chloe sniffled and nodded. "Tell her."

That was all Chloe needed to hear. She sprinted to the back room and grabbed her and Beca's possessions, then burst out the same doors Beca left through.

Benji smiled to himself as he stood in line at the drinking fountain backstage. He recognized the man in front of him: the lead singer of the Footnotes. Another member walked up and tapped him on the shoulder. "When are you going back to England?" The boy choked on his water and smacked the kid's hand.

"It depends," he hissed. He stalked off in the opposite direction of his group. Benji raised and eyebrow at his behavior. Taking a note to check his background out, he took a drink and decided to go comfort Aubrey before he was put in the doghouse.

* * *

The semi-finals were in New York City, but they weren't at Lincoln Center. They were located at a smaller theater out the outside of Manhattan. Chloe ran all over looking for Beca, but came up short. She had even resorted to asking a hobo by the subway if he had seen a girl in a uniform like hers. Beca had left her phone in her purse, so she was alone. Completely alone. New York at night? Most people would rather take a death sentence.

"Excuse me, Miss?" a tourist with a thick Indian accent tried to get Chloe's attention.

"Uhh, yeah?"

"Do you know where the subway train that goes out to the Statue of Liberty is?"

"No, sorry. Have you seen anyone dressed up in this uniform running around here?"

"Well, yes. As a matter of fact I have. She was at the bus station just a block over." She turned and pointed," That way." Chloe ran off, forgetting to thank the woman.

* * *

_"Beca Mitchell!" _The small brunette jumped up from her seat in the empty lobby. She turned to find Chloe striding towards her. She prepared for the worst, but was pleasantly surprised as the redhead dropped her bags and flung herself onto Beca, smashing her lipstick covered lips against her own. Beca's hands found their usual spot around Chloe's waist and pulled her closer. "Beca," Chloe moaned into her mouth. The brunette pulled away and sat down. She almost forgot she was upset. Chloe plopped down beside her. She set her hand on Beca's knee, letting her know she was there for her.

Beca sighed and combed her fingers through her hair. "I'm guessing we lost?"

"I left a few minutes after you. I have no idea," Chloe said quietly.

"It's all my fault." Chloe could hear the change in Beca's pitch. "I should have stuck to the set-list like I was told to."

"No, babe, it sounded wonderful."

"Wonderful? If it was so wonderful, why did it get me kicked out of the only family I had?" her voiced cracked, as did her tough façade. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she looked into Chloe's face, searching for comfort. Chloe pulled Beca over into her seat and let Beca sob into her neck. She would be lying if she said she didn't cry a little too.

When her cries died down, Chloe pushed her away just enough to look into her eyes. She wiped a tear from Beca's cheek with her thumb. "I love you. I'm not going to let anything like that happen to you ever again. I'm going to protect you. I'm going to be there for you when you need me. I'm _always_ going to be there, Beca." The small girl finally cracked a smile.

"You love me?"

"Yes."

"I love you too," Beca broke again, this time venting her sudden wave of emotions through passionate kisses on Chloe's lips, jawline and neck while few salty tears rolled down her cheeks. Chloe pulled the rest of Beca onto her lap. With the brunette attached to her neck by her lips, Chloe's hands were free. She started to undo the few buttons on Beca's overshirt. Flinging it on the ground, she started to undo the undershirt's buttons. Beca broke away for a second to whisper, "We're in public, Chlo."

"So what?"

"So, are you love birds going to buy a ticket or what?" the large man behind the counter at the front of the room boomed. It was obvious that he was agitated and hated his job. Beca dismounted Chloe's lap and redid the button the redhead had undone.

"I already talked to you about that. The bus leaves at 10:30 tomorrow, correct? And that'll take us out to the train station? Then the train will take us to Atlanta?"

The man crossed his arms. "Yeah. But you gotta buy a ticket first, lady."

"Two for the bus and two for the train, please." Beca grabbed her wallet from her purse and paid the man. She put the tickets away and returned to Chloe. "We have like eleven hours to blow." A smile stretched across Chloe's face as she stood up and grabbed Beca's hand.

"Grab your stuff."

"Where are we going?" Beca questioned.

Chloe pulled her towards the door. "To a hotel."

"But that's expensive, Chlo. We can sleep in here."

"But I can't make love to the woman I love in here."


	13. Chapter 13

Beca put on her coat and went to say good-bye to Luke.

"Hey Beca, why don't you take the night shift during Spring Break?"

"I won't be here for Spring Break. I asked off like two months ago." Beca laughed at Luke's reaction.

"Oh. What are you doing?"

"I'm going to California with Chloe."

"You two are gettin' serious, huh?" he smirked. "Meeting the parents."

"I never thought meeting the parents was a serious thing."

"It is when you fly across the country to meet 'em." He shooed Beca away. "Go home. Have fun in Cali." Beca smiled and thanked him, then walked out the door.

Beca thought about what Luke had said on the way home. Was flying out there just to meet Chloe's parents too much? Before she could answer that question, she saw Chloe walking towards her. "Is everything packed?"

"Pretty much, yeah. I still can't believe my dad agreed to pay for my ticket."

Chloe rubbed Beca's arm with her hand. "He just wants you to have a good time in college. He probably feels that he forced you into going and wants to make it up to you. You two should really start to repair your relationship."

"I'll think about it." Chloe squealed. Beca smirked at her. She looked away from Chloe's eyes and realized they were at her dorm's door. "See you tomorrow?"

"I'll pick you up at 7 am."

"Seven?!"

Chloe laughed. "We have to be there like two hours early. For security and all that." Beca rolled her eyes and gave Chloe a kiss good night.

* * *

Beca and Chloe were sitting on the couch watching the news, snuggling and giggling. "I'm going to go take a quick shower," Chloe announced, getting up and heading for the stairs.

"Chloe, could you come help me in the kitchen?" her mother called out.

"I was going to go shower."

"Okay, that's fine."

Beca got up from the couch. "I can help," she said, walking into the large kitchen. Chloe's mother was standing over the stove, stirring soup in a large pot.

"Thanks, Beca. Why don't you peel some potatoes for me?" the redhead signaled to the small pile on the counter. Beca grabbed from knife from the counter and started her work. "Do you cook often?"

Beca laughed nervously, "No; I'm actually terrible at it."

"Well, one of you two is going to have to learn to cook. And it definitely won't be my daughter. I don't know how she manages it, but can even burn-"

"-water," Beca and the mother said in unison. They both laughed.

"Have you two planned anything to do here yet?"

"Nope."

"Chloe didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Beca sat down the knife on the counter and turned to look at the redhead.

"You might want to sit down." Beca looked concerned, but took her advice. "Chloe- you know about her nodes, correct?" Beca nodded. "Chloe called me after semi-finals and told me to set up an appointment for her."

"What kind of appointment...?"

"She's getting her nodes removed tomorrow afternoon." Beca's eyes fell to the floor. Her heart felt like it was in her stomach. Chloe's mother read her expression. "She most likely didn't tell you because she didn't want you to be scared." Beca waved her hands around like she wanted to speak but couldn't. "Don't worry; the doctor is the best in the west. He'll take good care of Chloe."

The pair were silent for a while until Beca spoke, still in her seat. "Is your husband going to join us for dinner?"

"No, he's on a business trip right now. It's a shame. He won't make it back before Chloe has to leave."

"What does he do?"

"He's a sales associate. He meets new clients and convinces them to work with his company."

"Oh. Chloe hasn't really told me much about her family," Beca replied quietly.

"It's not a big surprise. I'm guessing she hasn't told you about her brother."

"Brother? Chloe has a brother?"

"Had. He was killed by a drunk driver back when we lived in New Jersey. He was playing ball in the front yard and..." she trailed off, not needing to share the rest.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm glad Aubrey was around to comfort Chloe. I don't know if she would have came out of the situation the way she did without her."

"Aubrey lived in Jersey too?"

"Yeah. Her dad still lives there. She was at our house all the time. She was so cute and funny, cracking jokes all the time, running around with dirt on her knees. Chloe and Aubrey have always been close."

"They still are. Inseparable," Beca laughed, trying to lighten the mood a bit. She came in the room to help cook, not be pounded with depressing facts. The small brunette got up and continued peeling potatoes. She talked about her time so far at Barden, her job, and the Bellas. The group had lost at semi=finals, and Aubrey was still sticking by her "Beca isn't a Bella" mentality. So, technically speaking, Beca wasn't a Bella anymore. For some odd reason, she found it to be more bitter than sweet.

* * *

"So, how do you like it here?" Chloe asked. Her back was to Beca, who was lying in bed. Chloe lifted her shirt over her head, revealing her black and red laced bra.

"It's gorgeous here. The air is sweet, your mother is so nice, and she can cook way better than I can." Chloe smiled and climbed into bed with Beca.

"Good," she kissed Beca's nose and snuggled into her arms. "Listen, I have to tell you something."

"Okay," Beca said, already knowing what was coming.

Chloe bit her lip. "I'm getting my nodes taken out tomorrow. Before you say anything, just know I've been considering this for a long time. Since the season is over, I know it's the right time. I got checked out in Atlanta, and they said my vocal range shouldn't be affected very much at all. I really want this, Beca. I'm tired of hurting." Beca didn't speak; she pulled Chloe in closer. She wiggled down so she was at eye level with Chloe.

"If you're one hundred percent sure you want this, I'm happy for you. I know they've caused you so much pain recently. I'll stand by you no matter what you choose to do." Chloe's warm grin caused Beca to smile. She kissed Chloe's lips. "I love you."

"Thank you, and I love you too. Now get up and turn off the light. I'm too warm to move," Chloe pouted. Beca melted.


	14. Chapter 14

Chloe's face lit up as she threw an ice cube at her sleeping girlfriend. Beca swung her arms around as a natural defense "What the Hell?" Chloe smiled and waved her phone around before tossing it over. Beca let it bounce off her and fall into her lap. She unlocked the screen and read the text message.

_The Footnotes were disqualified for having a kid not from their college sing with them! We're back in! Rehearsals the day we get back from break, okay? 4 pm. _

Beca looked up to meet Chloe's gaze. She was smiling so wide it seemed unnatural. The brunette felt a vibration in her hand and looked down to find Aubrey had sent another text message. She opened it.

_Don't tell Beca. She still isn't a Bella._

Beca got up from her chair and walked over to Chloe, handing the phone back so she could read her text message. "Chloe, I don't think a should go to rehearsals with you. I mean, Aubrey's the leader, and she doesn't want me back." The redhead pushed her. "Don't fret, I'll still be around. I just won't be a Bella. I think you guys are better off without me." Chloe pushed her again, making Beca take a step back to catch herself. "I can't wait until you can use your words and not your hands again," she retorted. Chloe smirked at her. "And not that way! You sicko."

Chloe moved over a bit and lifted up her blanket, allowing room for Beca to join her in the small bed. Beca slid in and careful held onto the redhead, making sure not to touch her around her neck. The doctor said her upper chest, neck and lower face would hurt for a few days, but the medicine they were giving her through an IV would help the healing progress faster.

Beca wrapped her arm over Chloe's waist and buried her face in her side. She had intentions of falling back asleep, but Chloe did not.

Chloe, being the expert she is, started to use one hand to undo Beca's pants. "Chloe!" she hissed. "The doctor could come over here at any moment! What are you-" her protest was interrupted by a throaty moan, due to the sudden contact. Chloe knew she had to work fast, so she didn't waste any time and quickly started running her finger along Beca's clit. The small brunette was forced to clamp down on Chloe's side to muffle her moans.

"Please," Beca whimpered. Chloe smiled the best she could as she easily slipped two fingers inside her girlfriend, loving how quickly she could get her love wet. She started slow at first, teasing, enjoying the small cries coming from Beca's throat. She saw a man on the other side of the door walk by. She almost forgot their time was limited. Chloe changed her pace instantly, doing quick and hard thrusts. Beca tried to muffle her screams, but failed when Chloe hit her G spot.

With her hips bucking and her walls clenching around Chloe's twisting fingers, Beca knew she was close to falling off the edge. In an attempt to stay somewhat quiet, she shoved her mouth in the small crevice between Chloe's back and the bed, but she was too late. The orgasm ripped through her just as she started to move. Chloe's free hand covered Beca's mouth as she helped the brunette ride it out.

When it was all said and done, Chloe wiped her fingers off on a tissue from her bedside table and tossed it in the trash. She readjusted herself, and, in the process, accidentally hit the button to give herself medicine to ease her to sleep. Beca kissed Chloe's side repeatedly and looked up a few minutes later to find Chloe fast asleep. Beca pulled herself up into the sitting position and looked over her girlfriend's injury. Her neck had a few small bruises on it. The doctor said it was due to the bleeding and she'd be perfectly fine, but Beca still hated it.

She scooted up so she could rest Chloe's head on her chest while she slept. Beca ran her fingers through the red curls lying on her exposed skin. Smiling, she thought back to the morning of the day before. Chloe was going to go have fucking surgery, and she still refused to not do her hair. "Is she sleeping?" Chloe's mother asked, coming out of nowhere. Beca jumped a little.

"I didn't hear you come in." She sighed, _so_ relieved that she hadn't walked in not five minutes sooner.

"I just got here."

"Yeah, she's asleep. I think she accidentally gave herself medicine. So clumsy." Beca watched the older woman sit in her chair and set her purse down on the floor.

"Thank you."

"For what?" Beca asked. The woman pointed at her daughter.

"For this. You take really great care of her. I'm so thankful she has you." Beca smiled.

"Thank you." The woman nodded and sat back in her chair. They talked about the surgery and how Chloe was recovering. Just general small talk.

Beca cleared her throat a little before saying, "When we were back at the house, you said Aubrey ran around and got dirty all the time. That's not like the Aubrey I know." She looked up from the tiled floor to find a sad woman, lost in her thoughts, reminiscing. She remained quiet, just observing and listening once the woman began to explain.

"When Aubrey was six, her mother died. It hit their family pretty hard. Her father locked himself in his room for three days, refusing to leave. Ryan, Aubrey's older brother, couldn't look at Aubrey. She didn't understand why her family was avoiding her. She's a splitting image of her mother. She had to live at our house for the week of her mother's death, until after the funeral.

"Whenever Aubrey's father felt Aubrey needed to be punished, even if it was something small that deserved a simple scolding, he would hit her. I never saw it with my own eyes of course, but Chloe didn't keep secrets from me. She would run home with a bloody Aubrey in toe to explain what happened. It killed me to see the little girl like that, but whenever I called child services, they would check it out and come back saying nothing was wrong. It floored me. So, for her elementary school years, Aubrey spent most of her days and nights in my home.

"When middle school came around, Aubrey dove into the world of extra-circulars and sports. She joined as many clubs as she could. I say it was to not be home as much as possible, but she claimed it was because they were fun. Either way, she was happy, so I was happy for her. Chloe as well. Chloe even joined some of the clubs. That's how she found singing, actually. Choir club. Who knew, right?" she chuckled softly. "Once Aubrey became president of one of her multiple clubs, her father started taking an interest in her again. He started to support her for once. He even came to her cheer leading events, no matter how much he hated them, just because she made captain.

"In high school, she became the Aubrey you know today. The strict blonde who craves perfection. She realized that when she did something, if it was perfect, her father would be proud of her. It's sad really, considering their relationship failed because of her looks. It's not her fault she looks like her mother. She used to be so carefree and now..." she trailed off.

"My god." Beca saw the sorrow in her girlfriend's mother's face. She really loved Aubrey, she could see it. She really felt for that girl.

"I just hope she finds her way back to how she used to be. I can't imagine it's fun being the way she is now."

"I'm not much of a help," Beca whispered. "We fight constantly."

"I expected so."

"We have totally different views. We have nothing in common, and-"

"You do," the mother interrupted and smiled at the girl in Beca's arms. Beca looked down and smiled too. She was right; Chloe was they had in common. They both loved the same girl. They would both die for her. If that wasn't enough to bring the two together, Beca wasn't sure what was.

* * *

"Do you have everything? Your clothes? Snacks for the plane? A blanket? Your medicine?"

"Yes, Mom," Chloe groaned and smiled over at Beca. She hugged her mother good-bye for the fifth time before stepping into the taxi.

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you?"

"We're fine."

"Thanks for everything, Mrs. Beale." Beca hugged the woman, giving her a tight squeeze, and threw the suitcases in the trunk. She walked around to the side of the car and got in.

"Do you have your tickets?" Chloe held them up and waved them around. "Bye girls! Love you! Be safe!" she called out after the taxi as it pulled away from the curb. Chloe grabbed Beca's hand and rubbed the top of it with her thumb.

"I'm so glad to go home."

"So am I," Beca beamed. "California is great and all, but I don't think I'm ready just yet to live out here." She looked out the window and watched the palm trees pass by.

"Still want to move out here?"

"Definitely. I mean, look around. It's gorgeous." Chloe watched Beca's eyes wonder at the beauty of state. She loved the twinkle in her eye. Beca glanced over at her. "What?"

"Nothing," she shook her head, failing to hide a grin. Beca quirked an eyebrow. Chloe let go of her hand and cupped the smaller girl's cheek, pulling her in for a kiss. "I just love you."

"I love you too."


End file.
